


Really long ramble about some ideas for an ending to the rewrite

by dreamingKatfish



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Gen, Kinds forgot to say that before, Multi, Second idea is up now, but yeah, for the last 2 chapters of v3, im a petty poly shipper, it will be everyone/everyone one day some day, this is an expanding writing piece for the two ideas I had
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-10-10 05:51:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 32,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17420288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamingKatfish/pseuds/dreamingKatfish
Summary: Hey fun fact, I have no idea how to ask for help on projects and I didn’t want to a post with just asking how do I ask for help on something like this, so I will mention it now, but this post is actually going to be me putting down my 2 really long ideas for the ending of the rewrite. Though I will go a bit into chapter 5, mainly the trial. So the main difference between these two will be in chapter 5 trial and the chapter 6 investigation. I will mark the two ideas accordingly. (Option A being very canon complacent while Option B is ridiculously canon divergent.) Now, these ideas aren’t set in stone, and I might change who survives and maybe even add more survivors. Expect spoilers for the final 2 chapters of v3. But who knows, most certainly not me. Anywho hope y’all like this really long segment of who knows what to call this, especially considering how much is missing. It lacks details and dialogue that would be in a finalized version. But I digress, it’s time to go.





	1. Option A: Hidden Truth

“Here just drink this Momota-chan,” Ouma held the antidote up the mouth of his currently dying ~~friend?crush?boyfriend?ex?~~ fellow killing game participant.

 

Momota looked up at the “mastermind” and then to what he was holding, “Did-didn’t you just drink it?”

 

Ouma rolled his eyes, “Obviously not, otherwise I wouldn’t be telling you to take it. Now just take it already, we’re on a schedule here,” Momota shook his head, “What? Why the hell not?”

 

“Just what are you planning Ouma? I thought you were the mastermind, you aren’t making any sense,” Momota peers at Ouma as if that will tell him everything the other was hiding.

 

Ouma sighs, “I want you to kill me-”

 

Momota jumps up before collapsing, “Kill you!? Have you seriously lost your mind!”

 

“Look, if we don’t do something now the poison is going to kill both of us and Harukawa will be made the blackened. And besides, you haven’t heard the rest of my plan. But it won’t matter if we die now, so you need to listen to me,” a frown finds its place on Ouma’s face.

 

Momota looks down and contempts, before holding out a hand. Ouma gives him the antidote, and he takes less than half before turning around and grabbing Ouma and forcing him to take the rest. Releasing Ouma Momota begins, “There now we have more time and I’m not going to kill you Ouma.”

 

Stunned, Ouma looks over to Momota, “What have you done. The poison is going to kill you, you’re going to die! You-you can’t die, that wasn’t part of the plan.”

Momota grabs Ouma by his shoulders, “What is your plan? What’s going on? You need to tell me now Ou-,” Momota sighs, closing his eyes and look down briefly. Before locking eyes with Ouma again, “Kokichi, please, you can trust me.”

 

Ouma’s voice starts as a whisper, “I really can’t you know, it’s a killing game and looks how far trust has gotten us. But the plan was to create a murder not even Monokuma can solve,” but then his voice begins to rise,” We are being watched by some sick fucks who just want to toy with our lives! I hate this killing game, I always have!” his voice begins to waver and come to a whisper,” I hate having to lie about liking this sick murder game just to survive. I don’t understand how a game that takes so much life can be fun,”  But he finds the strength to raise his voice again,” There are people out there enjoying this, so I want to ruin it for them! I don’t want them to be able to keep playing with our lives like this!” He’s panting by the time he finishes.

 

And when he looks over to Momota again, he’s caught, once again, off guard as Momota pulls him into a hug, “Okay, then let’s do that. Let’s make this murder unsolvable, without you having to die though, or Maki getting executed.”

 

Ouma holds tight, “How?” Voice cracking.

 

Momota pulls back just enough to see Ouma’s face, “You know how sick I am right? I didn’t want to worry anyone, but it’s pretty bad. And those bombs last two hours right? I’ll be dead by then. And when I die by my sickness, use whatever plan you had to hide who died. They’ll never figure it out.”

 

“What about the others? You haven’t even said goodbye,” Ouma tries to reason.

 

Momota laughs, “If you’re so worried you can tell them for me unless you got some paper or a video camera that somehow didn’t get shut down by the electro-bomb.”

 

Ouma looks down, “What if I told you I did have a camera?”

 

Momota’ face slacking and his eyes go wide, “Seriously!?”

 

“Yup,” Ouma says as he pulls the video camera out, “It only has play, stop, and pause buttons. But it can hold multiple videos, so it should work,” he looked up at Momota and sees the question in his eyes, “And before you ask, yes I was going to use this during the murder to confuse it further on who the actual victim is, by doing a body swap without them noticing.”

 

Momota nods, “Well can I see the camera then? I can record that goodbye you want the others to have,” Ouma silently hands it over. Momota turns it on and turns around the screen so that he could see himself then turns to the camera lens to himself. He holds it so both him and Ouma are in the frame. Ouma refuses to look up. Momota turns the camera on and begins, “Hey guys, guess I gave you all a pretty big fright huh? Well, I just gotta say I’m sorry about that, but I- no we. We were just trying our best to end the killing game, right Ko?” Momota smiles and looks over at Ouma who looks up at him and smiles weakly. They both turn towards the camera, “So I hope the plan worked and Monokuma was fooled. Though I hope he doesn’t try to execute you all for it. Ahh, I should probably tell what even happened. Well, long story short I’m going to die to my illness, though I guess it’s more like I died by the time you see this. I’m sorry guys,” Momota looks down and rubs at his neck, “I know you all are going to want to blame Ko, I’m lookin’ at you Maki-Roll, but please don’t. He didn’t kill me or manipulate me, or anything. Ko isn’t the evil mastermind he’s been making himself out to be,” He looks to Ouma, “And I hope you, Ko, will keep your promise.”

 

Ouma scrunches his eyebrows and like a child, tilts his head, “What promise?”

 

“The one you made to Gonta, to get along with everyone. I want you to actually do that this time. Please for our sake if nothing else, a least try to get along and end the killing game for us,” he gives Ouma small, sad smile.

 

Ouma jumps into Momota, giving him a hug and burying his face in Momota’s shirt. A muffled “I promise,” comes from him.

 

Momota smile grows a bit bigger and a bit softer as he raises his hand to tangle in Ouma’s hair. He then looks back up at the camera, “Seriously guys don’t give Ko a hard time, we’ve done that enough to him at this point. And I want all of you to know, I love you,” he looks down at Ouma, “Don’t think that doesn’t mean you too Ko,” Momota looks back up, “I’m glad to have known you guys, and if you ask me despite the short amount of time or the fact we’re in a killing game, I’m so happy I got the chance to fall in love with all of you. Now do me a favor and show the mastermind up and destroy this game one and for all. I’ll see you again, one day, among the stars. I love you,” Momota stops the recording and puts the camera down. Only to almost immediately wrap his arms around Ouma.

 

* * *

 

The trial begins, like it always does, only thing is it seems like both the potential victim/culprit duo. Neither Momota or Ouma was there. Monokuma tries to assure them, that the culprit will show up, but Monokuma isn't exactly trustworthy. But still, there’s a murder to be solved.

 

“I don’t see a point in this, it’s obviously Ouma,” Harukawa begins. The other two girls begin to agree.

 

“Well, how can we be so sure? None of us actually saw the corpse and the Monopad has nothing on it,” Kiibo argues.

 

“Kiibo’s right, we can’t say for sure. Besides, there are some questions I have about what exactly went down that I want to answer. It wouldn’t hurt to review the case before just voting right away,” Saihara says.

 

“Do you want to die?” Harukawa is quick to respond.

 

Saihara finches back, “N-no! It’s just it bothers me how the press was broken, and why. Along with why there was a hole is Kaito’s jacket, or just how was Kaito crushed by the hydraulic press when it has a safety feature in place to prevent those kinds of things, or even why there were three crossbow bolts in the bathroom. There’s a lot of questions we don’t have the answers to that I would like to address first. Please, Maki, let’s just go over the case quick,” Saihara begs.

 

Harukawa sighs, “Fine I suppose we can talk about for a bit if it will get you to stop questioning these things.”

 

Saihara smiles, “Thank you, Maki,” he turns to face everyone else, “First things first I want to figure out if it’s possible for Kich- Ouma to be the one under the press.”

 

Shirogane lifts her hand pointing up as in the signal a thought, “I don't think there’s any evidence to even allow for that, it’s Kaito’s jacket in the press after all.”

 

Yumeno agrees, “Yeah, it doesn’t make sense for it to be Ouma. Then, unless he stole Kaito’s jacket!”

 

“But why would Ouma steal Kaito’s jacket and put under the press then?” Kiibo retorts.

 

“No, it’s definitely not Ouma under there,” Harukawa finishes.

 

Saihara says, “No, it’s possible for it to be Ouma, we found some of his clothes shoved into the toilet in the bathroom, looks like someone tried to get rid of it. And not only that, but something is bothering me about the coat sleeve sticking out.”

 

“The coat sleeve?” Shirogane says.

 

Saihara nods, “Yes, because the thing is Kaito always wore his left sleeve, but never the right one. So why is his left sleeve sticking out of the press, but his hand isn’t. Not only that but look at the hole in it. It looks like it was pierced by something.”

 

“Could it be from one of the bolts from the crossbow?” Kiibo asks.

 

“It would be the right size and I can't remember seeing anything else to cause a hole like that,” Shirogane answers. But then asks, “Do you think it has something to deal with how he died? I thought the hydraulic press did it.”

 

 _I thought so too, but there's just one problem with that._ Saihara looks to Kiibo, “I don't think the hydraulic press killed the victim. It has a safety feature to keep that from hurting anyone alive.”

 

“That's right! Me and Shuichi tested it out earlier when the hangar first opened,” Kiibo speaks up.

 

“Oh, I see,” Shirogane responds.

 

“Though I have to ask, how did the crossbow get in there and who even used it?” Kiibo says.

 

 _Where could it have come from. . . . Wait, of course! There's only one place it could have come from,_ “Whoever brought it must have brought it in through the bathroom window,” _but who used it? I can only think of one person_ , “And if I had to guess I'd say it can only be Kaito who used it here,” Saihara finishes.

 

“Wait why could it only be Kaito? Couldn't whoever brought it also shoot it? Or even Ouma could have done it,” Kiibo asks.

 

Saihara chuckles weakly, “Unless it was Maki who brought it. There's no way whoever brought it or Ouma could have used it. After all, the case for it was there and the crossbow had to be taken apart to fit in it. And it's way too difficult to put together on your own if you don't know what you're doing. And unless Maki has something she wants to admit, the only people who know how to put together the crossbow is me, Kaito, and Maki.”

 

Harukawa sighs, “No I didn't teach anyone else to use the crossbow. Though I do have to wonder who went into my lab and took one.”

 

Kiibo looks down in thought, “Could you tell me what the case for the crossbow looks like? Because I saw Himiko walking to the Hangar last night with a suspicious case and if the cases look the same then I guess Himiko brought it.”

 

They look towards Yumeno who's at this point now noticeable shaking, “I just gave Kaito the crossbow and bolt! I didn't do anything wrong!”

 

 _Huh, is she scared we would suspect her if we learned she brought the crossbow? But there's something bothering me about what she said. Hopefully, I'm right about this,_ “Himiko don't you mean bolt **s** , plural?”

 

Yumeno blinks, “What? N-no, I only brought Kaito one bolt, that's all he asked for.”

 

“But then how is there three bolts now?” Shirogane questions.

 

 _I need to think. If Himiko brought only one bolt, but there's three on the scene and running on the assumption Himiko isn't lying then. There's a third party that showed up later with more bolts. But why, or more importantly who?_ “There was a third party. Someone showed up after Himiko with more crossbow bolts,” _but why? They couldn't have been giving Kaito more bolts, they wouldn't have known he even had a crossbow. And he only wanted one bolt,_ “An-and I don't think the third party gave Kaito the bolts. So somehow someone got into the hangar and used the extra bolts themself.”

 

“Y-yeah! There's no way I had done something wrong,” Yumeno cheers, still shaken up.

 

“There's one problem with that idea,” Harukawa begins at the same time, “How did this third party get into the hanger, the alarm should've gone off if they got close. And what would be the point of using a crossbow if Ouma knew they were there?”

 

 _Shit, she's right. I need to think, what's the one thing that would've made it so the third party would've have been caught until too late. I have an idea of how, but I need more information,_ “Monokuma, I need some information to make this trial fair. Will the alarm still go off if someone was inside one of the exisals?”

 

“Puhuhuhuhu, asking me questions it seems. But you're right it's not fair if you don't know! So to answer your question, the alarm won't go off!” Monokuma answers.

 

Saihara looks down and mumbles, “Like I thought,” Then looks up and raises his voice, “The third party had got in by using an exisal.”

 

Harukawa argues back, “Weren't guarding Monokuma? How could then use one if they were all there?”

 

Kiibo steps in, “Because they weren't all there. I went to try and talk to Ouma last night to see if I could convince him to stop this, but when I went past the Monokuma and the exisals. There's was only three of then there and I remember watching one go over to where Kaito and Ouma were.”

 

“You saw an exisal go there!?” Yumeno squeaked out.

 

“How would you even get inside the exisal?” Shirogane asks at the same time.

 

Saihara briefly reaches up only to quickly realize he long since stopped wearing his cap. _This is starting to get overwhelming and rather quickly. But I can't give up yet. I can't risk being wrong. I have to keep going,_ “An electrohammer is how. It seems like the exisals have an electronic lock, disable the lock and you can get inside and pilot the exisal.”

 

“But weren't all of the electrohammers charged, how could someone use one to get an exisal?” Harukawa questions.

 

 _Why are you fighting this so mu- oh. Maki what have you done,_ “No Maki there was a used electrohammer by the exisals. And I'm sorry but there's only one person it could belong to,” _I really am sorry for this Maki,_ “And it's you, Maki. You're the only one who didn't show up with an electrohammer this morning. Plus it makes sense if you were the third party, who else would have a reason to have two extra bolts.”

 

Harukawa glares, “So now you accusing your friends again it seems. Haven't you gone far enough last trial?”

 

 _Maki . . . I'm sorry. We both know I had no choice. I couldn't just let everyone get executed. It's not like I want to suspect the people I've come to care so much about. But I have to, I don't think I ever had a choice otherwise. I'm sorry Maki, but I need to go through all the options. The only way I can trust you is to first prove that you couldn't have done it,_ “We have to look at everyone. I don't want to suspect you, but I have to go through all the possibilities. If we don't we may miss something and pick the wrong person. I want to trust you Maki that's why I have to suspect you first. So Maki if you didn't kill whoever it is under that press I need you to prove it. Please tell me, tell us, what happened in there.”

 

Harukawa looks away, after a few moments she sighs and looks back to everyone else, “I did go after Ouma last night. I didn't want to wait until morning to fight, so I tried to last night. I had dipped some bolts in Strike-9 and gone after them. I tried to get Ouma to confess to being a remnant of despair. But he just seemed to be toying with me claiming to know nothing about what I was talking about-”

 

Yumeno cuts her off, “How can you be sure that he knew. I mean we didn't know until we saw the flashback light and Kok-Ouma wasn't there for it. So maybe he forgot just like us and never got to remember.”

 

Harukawa shakes her head, “He's the mastermind, why would he make himself forget?”

 

It’s Shirogane who retorts, “It could be that Ouma was lying about being the mastermind. Hence why he would've forgotten.”

 

Kiibo is the one who asks, “But why would he lie about that?”

 

 _Why is a good question. Why does Kic-Ouma lie about anything? He sometimes said he did it to help or out of kindness. Why would he try to trick us? Unless he had a plan. Did ever even like the killing game? There are so many things he claims he had because of the mastermind, but what if it was like the electrohammers and he just got Miu to make it for him before she died. How many things did he ask to build? I don't know if we're ever going to be able to ask him. But for now, this is the least I can do,_ “Ouma lied because he had some sort of plan. Maybe he wasn't the mastermind like Shirogane said, but instead trying to take the game over from the mastermind-”

 

Harukawa interrupts, “But why would he take over the game?”

 

Saihara looks her in the eye, “Ouma was trying to stop the killing game. That's why he was trying to take it over and why he was trying to throw us into despair. If he really was-”

 

Monokuma slow claps, “Interesting deduction detective. But not what's important here, the murder is. And if you stray off topic again I'll treat it like an incorrect vote and execute you all. So get back to work on the murder!”

 

 _Shit, Monokuma isn't playing around. I need to stay on topic. But I wonder why Monokuma was so intent on not letting us talk about Ouma's intent,_ “R-right. Anyways please continue Maki.”

 

She nods, “Well regardless of whether or not he was telling the truth, I got annoyed at how he was acting and went to finish him off. But for some reason, Kaito jumped into the way and took the arrow for him. I panicked and ran off to try to find an antidote for the Strike-9 poison. When I came back the shutters were shut. I tried to break the control panel to get in, but it didn't work. So I went to the window to pass over the antidote, but Ouma had taken it from him and drank it all. Kaito told me to run, so I did the one thing I could, I ran as he told me. I don't know what happened after that. And I definitely don't know why the body was crushed. And that's what happened.” Tears begin to prick at the corners of her eyes.

 

Saihara gives Harukawa a sad smile, “Thank you for telling us. But it seems now we have a problem. With the body crushed there's now there's not only no way to figure out not only who died, but now also how they died is a mystery too.”

 

Monokuma laughs, “Well if you don't know then why don't we get our culprit to come out here himself. That's your signal!”

 

A large door opens near the edge of the courtroom. A red exisal stands on the other side and jumps into the courtroom. Kaito's voice crackles through the speakers, “Sorry for the wait. Monokuma was being strict about when I could come out.”

 

Harukawa takes a step forward towards the exisal, “Kai-Kaito?”

 

The exisal jumps over to Ouma's stand. Ouma voice speaks this time, “No, Sorry! I just really wanted to test out the voice change in here. Nishishishi.”

 

Harukawa takes a step back and scowls, “You bastard!”

 

Ouma's voice taunts her, “Whoops did you think Momota-chan survived? Seriously?”

 

Harukawa pulls out her knife and Yumeno steps off her stand goes to hold Harukawa back, “Maki don't! It's not worth it! If he killed Kaito he will be punished, we all know that,” Harukawa takes a deep breath and puts the knife away. Yumeno gives her a quick hug before she goes back to her own stand.

 

‘Ouma’ begins, “You know I heard your theory about me and I'd like to say quick that you are wrong. Of course, I'm the villain made myself out to be, the kindness part was the lie. Anywho in case you don't believe me, well let me just show you the moment the victim died. Just in case you had forgotten what I said before about how much I love to watch you suffer. Oh and it's worth noting this video wasn't doctored in any way, it only has a play, pause, and stop button. No editing feature and Monokuma can confirm it's not on any computer in the Academy.”

 

Monokuma speaks up, “Yup, yup! There are no videos made by that camera anywhere but on that camera.”

 

“See? Nishshshsh, now it's time to watch!” ‘Ouma’ plays the video. Though there's a moment were the press briefly pauses, it does going all the way without anyone getting in the way and it crushes Momota.

 

“I think I'm going to hurl!” Yumeno.

 

“AAAAAA!” Shirogane.

 

“Wha-what. It can't be!” Kiibo.

 

“I will kill you, you bastard!” Harukawa.

 

_Kaito? Is it really Kaito under there? I don't see how it couldn't be. Why? Why why why why whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy??_

 

“Nishishishi. Look at that despair, it's truly something else. Now you know, without a shadow of a doubt, it’s Momota-chan in that press,” and ‘Ouma’.

 

 _Wait, I- I need to focus. He said there's no doubt it's Kaito, but something in that video proves there is,_ “No that's wrong! There is doubt still. In the video before the body could be crushed by the press stopped. But earlier when me and Kiibo were testing it, it didn't stop once. So why would it now?”

 

Without skipping a beat ‘Ouma’ said, “The safety feature briefly stopped it.”

 

 _No there's something off about that,_ “No it wasn't the safety feature. Since it was turned off.”

 

Harukawa looks at Saihara questionly, “How could it have been turned off?”

 

Saihara looks to her, “An electrobomb.”

 

Kiibo this time asks, “How do you know and electrobomb was used?”

 

Saihara turned to Kiibo, “The alarm was off. Remember when Maki said the shutters were shut, she went after the control panel, but if she was by the control panel the alarm should've gone off. Unless it was already off, and so why would Kokichi risk Maki getting in again and not turn the alarm back on, unless he didn't have a choice. I think an electrobomb was used to turn off the hydraulic press' safety feature. And with it turned off the press wouldn't have stopped!”

 

‘Ouma’ speaks, “Oh? Is that so? Then why did the press stop,” the voice changes to Momota's, “sidekick?”

 

Saihara tries to ignore the shiver down his spine and keep going, “The force stop button. I think it's possible that the force stop button and the pause button the camera were pressed at the same time giving the pause in the press while keeping the video going. I think this was done to do a body swap. The question of this case was never the who the culprit was, it was who was the victim. It's a cat box, as long as the box is shut the cat can either be dead or alive. So, in this case, the victim can be either Kaito or Kokichi. But we can't open the box the check.”

 

‘Ouma’ laughs, “That's pretty smart detective. But how about this first, Monokuma do you know who the victim is? I'm willing to be you don't. So let's a make a deal, it will be fun. If you can figure out who the culprit is during the vote and get it right you can execute the culprit. If you get it wrong, you let everyone go. What do you say?”

 

Monokuma raises his voice, “Listen you usurping rat, you don't get to make demands here.”

 

“And you don't have much of a leg to stand on yourself Monokuma! You don't know who the culprit even is! You don't have a choice!” ‘Ouma’ shouts back.

 

Monokuma scowls, “Fine, but I've got the ultimate detective on my side. So prepare to taste defeat.”

 

“I'm shaking in my boots,” ‘Ouma’ mocks.

 

Saihara interrupts their fight, “Can we get back to the trial?”

 

‘Ouma’ says, “ By all means, detective, continue. Tell all about how you think there was a bodyswap.”

 

Saihara takes a deep breath, “I think in order to pull this off the culprit needed help. And the only person who could've helped is the only other person in the hangar, the victim. The victim helped with their own murder. And the victim that helped orchestrate their own murder is Kokichi. So the culprit of this case is . . . . Kaito.”

 

The other looked stunned, but Harukawa reflects herself, “How could it be Ouma? I watched him drink the antidote.”

 

Saihara frowns, “Kokichi never actually took the antidote, he only pretended to.”

 

“If- if it really was Kaito, then do what you usually do. Explain it from start to finish Shuichi!” Yumeno exclaims.

 

Saihara nods, “It started when Himiko brought the culprit a crossbow and bolt from Maki's lab. The culprit had assembled the crossbow with the intent of treating Kokichi to let the culprit go. At the same time, Maki disable the lock on one of the exisals guarding Monokuma. The culprit shoots Kokichi’s right arm and they begin to fight. Just then an exisal holding Maki breaks into the hangar. Kokichi probably tried to use Miu's remote control to stop the exisal when Maki had shot him in the back. Maki then interrogated the now assumably disabled Kokichi. However, upset by his answers she shoots him again. But this the culprit takes the bolt in his left arm for having tried to protect Kokichi. Since Maki had poisoned the bolts she runs off to find an antidote, in the meantime, Kokichi shuts the hangar. After failing to get back in,  Maki passes the culprit the antidote through the bathroom window. That's when Kokichi steals and pretends to drink it. Maki runs off and Kokichi sets off one of the electrobombs and gives the culprit the antidote to get them to go along with his plan. To start the culprit removes the three arrows in both of them. Then the culprit drags the weak Kokichi over the hydraulic press control panel and while Kokichi sets up a camera to record ‘the moment the victim died.’ but one the culprit was mostly covered from view Kokichi pressed the force stop button for the press and the pause button on the camera simultaneously. Then the culprit and Kokichi switch had places. The culprit turned both the camera and press back on. Where it finished recording the death. But the job wasn't done yet. The culprit broke the power cord for the press so that we couldn't investigate the body and tried to flush Kokichi's clothes down the toilet before hiding in one of the exisals. And the one who's in that exisal pretending to be Kokichi is none other than you Kaito Momota!”

 

Kaito laughs, “Well whatever you say.”

 

Monokuma begins, “Well if that's that. Its voting ti-”

 

 _I get it, I didn't fully before. But I know what you're trying to do Kaito. You didn't just work with Kokichi because he gave you the antidote, but because both of you are trying to end this killing game. That was Kokichi's final goal and plan. I need to do something,_ “W-wait! I have something I need to tell all of you. I'm sorry I never told you, but Kokichi isn't dead. I saw him while investigating and he threatens to kill everyone if I didn't do as he said. But I can't keep lying. It isn't Momota in that exisal it's Kokichi.”

 

Monokuma growled, “It's not nice to lie detective. We all know you never saw Ouma. Because Ouma has been reduced to nothing more than paste on the hydraulic press and hangar floor. So knock it off. It's voting time!”

 

 _I failed, I'm sorry Kaito, Kokichi. I ruined your final plan._ Reluctantly Saihara votes for Momota.

 

Time to vote runs out, “Puhuhuhuhuhu. Looks like everyone's voted for you Momota-kun. It's time to say goodbye and accept your punishment.”

 

The exisal speaks up in Ouma's voice, “Sorry, but thanks for playing Monokuma. Checkmate, I win,” The exisal opens and standing in all of his bloody glory is Ouma. He's shirtless and has the camera in his hand. He raises the hand with the camera, “Though Momota-chan did have a goodbye for everyone. So before anyone tries to kill me. Let's play the other video on this camera. Momota's true goodbye,” Ouma plays the video.

 

_On the screen is Momota, he waves to the camera they can see the arrow wound. Ouma is sitting next to him looking off the side, face completely blank._

 

_“Hey guys, guess I gave you all a pretty big fright huh? Well, I just gotta say I’m sorry about that, but I- no we. We were just trying our best to end the killing game, right Ko?” Momota smiles and looks over at Ouma who looks up at him and smiles weakly. They both turn towards the camera, “So I hope the plan worked and Monokuma was fooled. Though I hope he doesn’t try to execute you all for it. Ahh, I should probably tell what even happened. Well, long story short I’m going to die to my illness, though I guess it’s more like I died by the time you see this. I’m sorry guys,” Momota looks down and rubs at his neck, “I know you all are going to want to blame Ko, I’m lookin’ at you Maki-Roll, but please don’t. He didn’t kill me or manipulate me, or anything. Ko isn’t the evil mastermind he’s been making himself out to be,” He looks to Ouma, “And I hope you, Ko, will keep your promise.”_

 

_Ouma scrunches his eyebrows and like a child, tilts his head, “What promise?”_

 

_“The one you made to Gonta, to get along with everyone. I want you to actually do that this time. Please for our sake if nothing else, a least try to get along and end the killing game for us,” he gives Ouma small, sad smile._

 

_Ouma jumps into Momota, giving him a hug and burying his face in Momota’s shirt. A muffled “I promise,” comes from him._

 

_Momota smile grows a bit bigger and a bit softer as he raises his hand to tangle in Ouma’s hair. He then looks back up at the camera, “Seriously guys don’t give Ko a hard time, we’ve done that enough to him at this point. And I want all of you to know, I love you,” he looks down at Ouma, “Don’t think that doesn’t mean you too Ko,” Momota looks back up, “I’m glad to have known, and if you ask me despite the short amount of time or the fact we’re in a killing game, I’m so happy I got the chance to fall in love with all of you. Now do me a favor and show the mastermind up and destroy this game one and for all. I’ll see you again, one day, among the stars. I love you,” the video cuts off there._

 

Ouma is looking off to the side but unlike his video counterpart. This Ouma has tears slowly falling down his cheeks. Though the others aren't fairing much better. Even Harukawa’s face is covered with tears.

 

Monokuma, on the other hand, is furious, “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T KILL HIM! HOW THE HELL DID HE DIE FROM HIS SICKNESS OF ALL THINGS! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TRYING TO TELL ME THERE WAS NO MURDER YOU FUCKING BASTARD!?”

 

Ouma wipes his tears away and looks at Monokuma blankly, “Its like I said, checkmate. There was never a murder, Momota died of natural causes. I just crushed his corpse so that you couldn't figure out who the real killer was, no one. Just admit it Monokuma, you lost.”

 

Monokuma calms, “We may not have a murderer, but we still can have an execution. After all, there's no way we can prove you didn't kill him, so guess what? I'll just execute you instead Ouma. And if not for murder, for having tried to take over the game.”

 

The others begin to shout,

“What do you mean you're going to execute him!?” Shirogane.

“That's not fair, there are no rules against it and Kokichi never killed anyone!” Yumeno.

“I don't believe this is reasonable!” Kiibo.

“If Ouma actually killed Kaito, you would never get the chance to kill him!” Maki.

“You're breaking the agreement Monokuma!” Saihara.

But Ouma, Ouma is silent. Looking down in concentration.

 

He lifts his head at last, “Enough!” None of them have ever seen Ouma look so serious, “I will accept my punishment-” the others begin shouting again. Ouma raises his hand for silence. Their voices fall, “However first you must go through with your end of the bargain. You lost the bet and voted for the wrong person no matter how you look at it. It doesn't matter if his illness killed him, or the press, or the poison. No matter what he didn't kill himself. You lost, now follow through and let everyone else go. That was the deal.”

 

Monokuma pauses, “You're right the deal. I let them go, you know you never specified in what sense I let them go. And you know since they voted wrong so I guess I'll just execute you all then, oh except for Ouma of course.”

 

Ouma's face falls, “What? That wasn't part of the deal. You don't just get to execute them. If you're going to execute anyone then execute me! I let Momota die! I got Miu and Gonta killed! I'm the one who tried to take over this game! This is my fault! They didn't do anything wrong, so don't you dare try to execute them!” Ouma is screaming by the time he finishes.

 

Monokuma sneers, “Would you really take their places?”

 

Ouma stares Monokuma in the eye, “Within a heartbeat.”

 

Monokuma laughs, but his laughter is cut short by Saihara, “No. I have a better idea. Monokuma you always try to do the most exciting thing right? You want to make this game fun, then rather than execute Ouma or us, what if we had one final trial. You give us the chance to solve the mysteries of this killing game and figure out who the mastermind is. If we figure it out the game is over, if we can't then you can execute all of us.”

 

Monokuma stares Saihara down, “Are really sure you have the right to put your friends loves on the line like this?”

 

Yumeno speaks up, “Oh knock it off already! We will beat you Monokuma! And will figure out what going on in this academy and defeat the mastermind!”

Shirogane is next, “Ye-Yeah Himiko is right we will beat you!”

Then Kiibo, “It's time to finally put a stop to you Monokuma.”

And Harukawa, “I'll kill you for all you've put us through. And I can promise you that.”

Finally Ouma, who's staring wide eye at those around him. He takes a breath, “I made a promise and I think it's time I've finally kept it.”

 

Saihara begins again, “We will put a stop to this Killing Game once and for all Monokuma.”

 

Monokuma laughs, “Fine if you want a trial that badly. You have until dawn to investigate. Ready or not, the trial is at dawn. See you later bastards. Puhuhuhuhuhuhu!” Monokuma disappears from the courtroom.

 

But in come the exisals, the participants begin to back away. When all of a sudden one of them blows up. The others begin to do the same and the participants run for the elevator. A piece of rumble knocks Kiibo's antenna off. But they all make it to the elevator.

* * *

 

Kiibo wanders off immediately after the elevator gets up without a goodbye.

 

“There goes Kiibo,” Saihara sighs, “Guess it’s up to the rest of us to investigate then,”

 

“Nyeh, where are we going to start?” Yumeno asks.

 

“We should split up, We’ll cover more ground that way. Then we can meet up,” Harukawa proposes.

 

Shirogane responds, “Sounds like a plan to me.”

 

Kokichi just nods.

 

“That should work, let’s start by spreading out on the first floor,” Saihara says.

 

They all head inside, but as soon as they do the building begins to break, the door gets covered and a part of the wall breaks the ground revealing a staircase. But through the hole in the wall comes Kiibo, “Monokuma is trying to place restrictions on your movement, I’ll distract him. But I’ve decided if you guys aren’t ready for the trial tomorrow, that there won’t be one. I’ll destroy this school and end the killing game myself. I’m sorry, but you can’t change my mind. I wish you guys luck on finding the truth,” and just like that Kiibo was gone again.

 

They looked at each other before separating, Shirogane heading over to the gym, Yumeno going upstairs, Maki going the check the rest of the first floor, and Ouma and Saihara heading down the stairs. Rushing to the end end of its tunnel they come across a door. It looks like an ultimate lab, the only one to have not been revealed until now, Ouma’s. They glance at each other before going in. The ultimate supreme leader’s lab looks more like what I child thinks one should look like rather than what it probably would actually look like. But one thing sticks out, the book on the ground. It says that’s it’s the Complete History of Hope’s Peak Academy. But reading it finds more questions than answers when the information doesn’t line up with what’s in their memories. Ouma’s eyes begin to light up again for the first time since the motive card key that revealed the ‘truth’ of the outside world. Saihara holds onto the book and they rush out of the lab.

 

They meet up with Maki in the front hall, “What did you two find?”

Saihara informs her, “A book supposedly about the complete history of Hope’s Peak. But it conflicts with our memories and we found it in Kokichi’s lab, so we’re going to check his room for anything we might have missed. But we could use some help getting the rubble out of the way.”

 

Maki nods and the three work together to open up the doorway. Maki then leaves again to follow her own investigation. The boys heading to the dorms.

 

Unlocking Ouma’s room reveals the hoard he’s been keeping of all the evidence from past trials. Ouma quickly moves over to a stack of papers and pulls out several blueprints. Saihara shifts around the room looking for anything that might help, he sees what’s likely Ouma’s motive video and grabs it. He turns to look at the whiteboard and finds Ouma had set it up to have the killers and their victims on the left and the suspects for the mastermind in the middle. On the right is a picture of the Monokubs, he calls them annoying, but it the upper right corner is a picture of him. It’s labeled “ ~~Trustworthy?~~ Tricky?”

 

 _Huh, I never would’ve expected that from Kokichi, he just keeps surprising me I guess. That makes me even more curious as to what’s in his motive video. Well, only one way to find out._ Saihara turns on the motive video. Ouma instinctively stiffens.

 

_Monokuma’s voice ring outs, “Back by popular demand, it’s a motive video! Let’s check out who this ultimate’s ‘most important loved ones’ are! Ahh, The ‘Ultimate Supreme Leader,’ Kokichi Ouma. He is the Supreme Leader of a super-secret organization called ‘DICE,’ they cause merry mayhem all across the world. But always make sure to follow their two main mottos, ‘One, never kill’ and ‘Two, commit fun and light-hearted crimes.’ This merry band of jokers holds ten loyal followers. These ten work with Ouma-kun, forming an overall group of eleven. To Ouma-kun, these ten are friends, or hell even family. They’re his everything. They are his ‘most important loved ones.’ But . . . Oh dear, would you look at that! It seems they’ve met a un-bear-able fate, but sorry! The fate they met is a secret. You’re going to have to win the game if you want to find out what happened to them. Puhuhuhuhuhu.”_

 

Ouma is shaking with his back turned to Saihara. When Saihara sees this he goes to put a hand on Ouma’s shoulder only to be met with Ouma jumping back, “Let’s just keep searching, okay?”

 

Saihara nods, and the continue to move around the room. Eventually, they leave with the motive video along with a machine Miu built known as the Bug-Vac and a paper that on the outside reads, “This is not a will.”

 

Following the note the to go and check out the boiler room. When they get there the ceiling crashes down and once again reveals Kiibo, “Hello you two. I see you are still investigating. Sorry about the mess. But I wanted to give you this,” He hands Saihara a remote, “If Monokuma tries to block your way or you need access to an area you can’t get into with just locking picking, use this remote and I’ll come to help out,” And just like before Kiibo rockets out. Saihara and Ouma share a glance before Ouma nods towards the message one hidden on the boiler room wall. Recognizing the pattern from before, and figuring the one place they would have to use it. Saihara runs off, Ouma close behind as they head to the 5th floor. To Amami’s Ultimate Lab.

 

Ouma rushes ahead and unlocks the door. Saihara following after. The sight the greets them brings questions, but the two focus on the vault in the back. Yumeno walks in behind them, “Maybe there’s some kind of two part of a code. Look at the space above them, A and B. Think you found something that fits, especially considering the zodiacs on both of the dials?” Saihara thanks her, and then turns the dials according to the codes written around the school. And just like that the vault opens, “Yes! It worked! I wonder what’s inside” She peers into the vault from behind them.

 

Saihara pulls out a USB and then heads towards the laptop sitting out, Ouma and Yumeno following behind. There’s only one file, a video. They press play.

 

_It’s Amami, “Yo, I hope you don’t need me to introduce myself after all this time. But things just got a whole lot more confusing I bet. I guess I should explain, First, yes the person you see is definitely you. I’m just you from the past. As you might have noticed you don’t remember making this video and you can probably guess why, . . . that’s right your- our memories have been erased, the same thing goes for pretty much everyone else here you know. So yeah, this is from the Rantaro Amami from before getting our memories erased to the Rantaro Amami from after getting our memories erased. But onto the main problem, truth be told, while participating in this killing game I’ve been given a few privileges. One of them is this video, but to see it, you need to solve Monokuma’s puzzle. Which I’m guessing you did if you’re watching this video now. Oh and you aren’t allowed to show anyone else if you brought someone into your lab only for Monokuma to chase them out, this is why. We were granted on other privileges, hell you’ve been carrying it around with you this whole time. You know what I’m talking about right? We’ve had it since the very start of this killing game. I think if we used it effectively, we could end the killing game. . . . Though I suppose if you’re watching this then the plan to end it at the start failed. I suppose I should’ve known it wouldn’t be easy. I guess despite these special privileges, being in the same condition as everyone else really didn’t help. And what I mean by that is, just like everyone else you have forgotten everything up until the beginning of the killing game you’re currently in. But, uh, there’s something you should know about what Monokuma said, you know about the killing game going until there are only two survivors. Well, what that means is the most important thing, but . . .-” A loud beep sounds from within the video, “Haha, guess that word is off limits, huh? So you’ll have to solve that last riddle on your own, but this is me we’re talking about, of course, you can solve it if you’ve come this far already,” Amami looks away from the camera, “Looks like my time to make this is coming to an end. So there’s just one last thing I have to say, this isn’t your first killing game. You survived the last one, so now the put you in a new one as the Ultimate Survivor. Hence the ‘Survivor Perks’ you got. But that doesn’t mean you’re at a complete advantage, those who know your truth will target you. So watch your back, and remember you asked for this, now it’s time for you to win it.”_

 

The three sit back and contemplate what they just saw. But they don’t get to sit for long as Shirogane runs in, “I finally found you guys! I’ve been looking everywhere! I was checking Kaito’s Lab when one of Kiibo’s attacks destroyed a wall in there revealing another room. We need to go check it out!”

 

Saihara looks over to Ouma and Yumeno. But it’s Yumeno who speaks first, “I’m going to keep exploring, we can meet up later. Just like we said!” She runs off with that.

 

Ouma looks from Saihara to Shirogane then back to Saihara, “I’ll go with you, in case there’s anything in there that needs lockpicking.”

 

Saihara nods and gestures for Shirogane to lead the way.

 

They make it to the top of the stairwell and enter Kaito’s lab. And it’s just as Shirogane said, the wall in the back is broken revealing a room drenched in white. Filled with Cryopods and a table with a log book on top. In the logbook, a list of all the participates in the Gofer project. Along with profiles for them.

 

Shirogane begins, “This is what I wanted you to see. There’s something I’ve noticed about Kaede’s profile that has me worried.”

 

Saihara looked up at Shirogane, “What do you mean, you’re worried?”

 

Shirogane looks off to the side, “Well Kaede has a younger twin sister, you know a lot like Junko Enoshima did. And I’m worried if this situation is just like that one. Where Enoshima used her sister so that she could keep running the killing game from behind the scenes. It may be just a coincidence, but I still thought it was something to note.”

 

Saihara nods, “Ah, I see. Well thank you for letting us know Shirogane, I think we should head down to library now though, there’s something I want to check out,” Saihara turns to leave but notices Ouma starting to glare at Shirogane, “Kokichi, come on. We need to get a move on,” Ouma shakes his head and looks at Saihara before turning around and leaving. _Ahh, I wonder what that was about. Kokichi, what’s going on inside your head?_

 

Either way, the three head down to library getting anyone these pass on the way. Eventually, all of them meet up in the library, minus Kiibo. Until Saihara pulls out the remote and actives it. Then Kiibo comes flying in, “Did you guys need me?”

 

Saihara walks up to Kiibo, “Yeah, could you do us a favor and blowdown the secret entrance door?”

 

Kiibo hums affirmatively, “I can, but everyone get behind me, it’s dangerous to get to close.” Once everyone is in place Kiibo shoots down the door, debris and dust go flying. Kiibo looks back at the others, “Door’s gone, we can finally go in.”

 

Shirogane shows some hesitation though, “What if the mastermind is in there and attacks us?”

 

Harukawa looks grime, “Then we strike first.”

 

Kiibo then interrupts, “I would join you guys, but I need to keep holding off Monokuma. So Shuichi it’s up to you to catch the mastermind no matter what. I have faith you can do it, goodbye for now,” Kiibo then departs.

 

Led by Harukawa, the five remaining slowly walk towards the space where the door one was, and one by one enter. It’s sparsely decorated, following a rather monochromatic scheme with hints of red and pink. On a nearby table there appears to be a bloody monopad and in the back, something is covered by a red cloth. But then all of a sudden a voice speaks out from behind the cloth, “I’m right here!”

 

Saihara slowly approaches and removes the cloth revealing a giant monokuma head, “AAH!” He stumbles back.

 

“Puhuhuh, you found me! Or rather the place you were meant to find. Doesn’t matter though, you can’t end the killing game. It was born from despair . . . Starting at Hope’s Peak with the Ultimate Despair. It’s all connected! The killing game is despair itself! ” the head cheers.

 

“Monokuma?” Ouma questions.

 

It responds, “Of course, but I’m not just any old Monokuma. I’m the overseer of this killing game and the source of the Monokumas. So I get to have a special name, Motherkuma!”

 

Saihara speaks up, “Correct me if I wrong, but does that mean the machine which makes the spare Monokumas in this academy-”

 

Motherkuma interrupts, “Oh that’s me. You see the machine behind me right? It creates the spares. I just need to copy over my thoughts and . . .  Presto! I give birth to myself!”

 

Shirogane speaks this time, “Huh? Just like that? I thought Monokumas were advance robots-”

 

Motherkuma interrupts again, “Well duh, it’s why I’m so amazing!”

 

Yumeno doubts, “No, that might be a lie. It could be trying to trick us.”

 

Harukawa agrees with, “Anyone can see it’s giving information away too easily.”

 

But Ouma stops them, “No. No, Motherkuma isn’t lying I’m afraid. I don’t know why it’s giving up so much information. But it’s still not lying, believe me, I know how to spot a lie a mile away,” he gives a weak chuckle.

 

Motherkuma’s smile seems to sharpen, “See even Ouma-kun agrees I’m not lying. I really can make spares that easily.”

 

Saihara asks, “Even right now?”

 

“Yes,” Motherkuma says.

 

Shirogane jumps in, “Then try to make one!” But Motherkuma doesn’t respond, “Huh? What’s wrong?”

 

Motherkuma rambles, “I can’t birth a Monokuma for someone who doesn’t love me. What about after it’s born!? Did you think about that! Take some responsibility!”

 

Yumeno shouts, “Whatever! Just give birth to a Monokuma already!”

 

Motherkuma shouts back, “No! I won’t do it just because someone tells me too!”

 

Harukawa tries, “. . . hurry up and give birth to a Monokuma.”

 

Motherkuma doesn’t respond, so Saihara asks, “Are you listening? We said to give birth to a Monokuma.”

 

And still nothing. Shirogane tries to explain, “It’s ignoring us. Ouma was wrong, it was lying to us.”

 

Ouma retorts, “No, I’m definitely not wrong. There’s no reason or way it’s lying,” Ouma walks up to Motherkuma, “I think Motherkuma only responds to the give birth command if it’s the mastermind. Otherwise, it would be chaos if anyone could up and make a spare Monokuma,” Motherkuma stares endless into Ouma’s eyes. He turns around, “But either way we aren’t getting much more out of it now.”

 

Harukawa shrugs, “Then let’s just search this room already.”

 

The five spread out Saihara checks the monopad on the table, Yumeno is going around pulling stuff up to find the mastermind, Harukawa searches the edges of the room, Shirogane tries to investigate the machine Motherkuma is hooked up to, while Ouma checks the trash for anything of use that might have been discarded.

 

On the monopad is a note from Amami to himself, much like the video, this time it mentions the Ultimate Hunt. Likely why he brought it up before. And a complete map of the entire academy area. Even the secret room. It has dried blood on it, mostly on the back. Though there appears to be a handprint in the blood. As if someone was holding it when it got blood on it.

 

Ouma calls out from across the room, “Not to be cliche, but you should see this Saihara-chan.”

 

Saihara grabs the monopad and goes over to Ouma. Ouma opens the trash can and points to the shot put ball inside. Saihara picks it up and on it not blood, but rather a pink string. Like on Akamatsu’s sweater, the same one she wrapped around the shot put ball in her bag.

 

He brings the shot put ball with him. Behind him Yumeno shouts in frustration before looking over to Motherkuma, “Motherkuma, can you tell us where the mastermind is, pretty please?”

 

Motherkuma speaks up, “Um, I can’t tell you that. It would make the game less exciting.”

 

Shirogane jumps on it, “This is definitely the mastermind’s room. It’s atmosphere screams remnant of despair.”

 

Motherkuma agrees, “Is it that obvious? Oh well, if you’re right, you’re right. You know the mastermind you’re looking for comes here quite often. But of course, they aren’t dumb enough to let you catch them!”

 

Himiko begins to raise her voice, “Wh-What did you say!?”

 

Shirogane cuts her off, “So the mastermind isn’t here.”

 

Motherkuma draws attention to Saihara instead of answering their questions, “Looks like the meaning of my hint has just dawned on Saihara-kun.”

 

Saihara then questions Motherkuma, “Why are you telling us this? Do you want us to figure it out???”

 

Motherkuma answers with a question, “And if I do? If it makes things entertaining then who cares!”

 

Saihara continues, “Even if it ends the killing game?”

 

Motherkuma hums, “End the killing game? Oh, haven’t I been saying it the whole time? The killing will never end! Doesn’t matter what you do, the game will keep going. It’s a symbol of despair, and how could something so fun just up and end!?”

 

Saihara blinks, “What?”

 

Motherkuma laughs, “I bet you’re trying your best to figure out what I mean. But it doesn’t matter what I mean since it’s the truth. Just accept that. It’s really for the best.”

 

Ouma speaks up, “Whatever you Motherkuma. Just know you sound more like you’re trying to convince yourself of that then convince us.”

 

Motherkuma laughs. They go back to doing to doing another once-over of the room. Ouma and Saihara go through the rumble of the door.

 

 _Huh, there’s no card reader on this side of the door. You wouldn’t need it then to get out to the library from here. PLacing the dust on the card reader didn’t matter if there they came from this room in the first place._ The two look over at each other, Saihara calls over everyone else, “I think we’ve checked everything we can. I still feel like there’s something we’re missing here, but for now, let’s keep moving.”

 

Shirogane nods, “Al-alright, we couldn’t find the mastermind here, but maybe they’re hiding elsewhere.”

 

Harukawa gives her agreement, “Dawn is coming.”

 

Yumeno however, “You guys keep moving. Shuichi you said there’s still a mystery here right? Then I’ll find it. We’re trying to out best, but not coming up with a lot. I need to recover my honor! I need to help!”

 

Saihara checks, “Himiko, will you be okay on your own?”

 

Yumeno jumps, “Of course! It’s frustrating to not find anything, so I’ll use that to work even harder and find the mastermind!”

 

Saihara smiles, “I understand. Good luck Himiko, though I don’t think you’ll be the one needing that luck, huh?”

 

Yumeno starts to falter though, “Really? You’re trusting me to do this? All by myself?”

 

Shirogane gives her a small smile, “You don’t need to do this if you don’t think you can.”

 

Yumeno shouts, “N-no! I’m fine! If you guys believe in me, then I will believe in myself too and give it my all! I’ll find a clue, even if it uses up all my magic and kills me!”

 

Shirogane freaks a bit, “Don't say something like that!”

 

Yumeno smiles, “I’m just trying to show you how determined I am to do this.”

 

Saihara chuckles, “Thank you Himiko, that makes me feel better,” Saihara looks around to everyone else, “Okay let’s keep moving and check the labs one more time. We might have missed something.”

 

Yumeno calls out quick, “Be careful. I don’t want this to be the last time we speak.”

 

Saihara looks over to her, “We will just take care of yourself too,” she nods.

 

Outside Kiibo is fighting Monokuma, he charges up a shot and it hits the area above the door. Rumble comes crumbling down. Harukawa, Saihara, and Shirogane run further into the library to avoid it. While Ouma runs further into the secret room as he had been further in the back of the group leaving the room. The rumble traps Yumeno and Ouma inside the secret room.

 

Monokuma flees and Kiibo checks on the others, “Are you alright!? Any of you injured!?”

 

The three vocalize their lack of injuries. But notice when a certain purple-haired boy doesn’t respond. Looking around proves he isn’t there. Saihara shouts, “Kichi! Where are you!?”

 

Shirogane proposes, “Maybe he’s still in the secret room?”

“Kiibo, can you clear the rumble!?” Saihara asks, panic clear in his eyes.

 

Kiibo raises his hands, “I’m sorry Shuichi, without knowing the status of Himiko and Kokichi, I wouldn’t want to risk blowing it up. And I’m not strong enough to move that much rumble.”

 

“Maybe we could get Monokuma to move it? They wouldn’t want people trapped either if they want to continue the killing game” Harukawa puts forth.

 

Kiibo raises his voice, “Are you suggesting we surrender and continue the killing game!? You do realize the only reason Kokichi and the rest of us aren’t dead is that we’re rebelling like this?”

 

Shirogane starts yelling back, “Those two are in danger! Rescuing them should be our priority!”

 

Saihara shakes his head, “I worried about the other two, especially Kichi considering he’s still injured from the last trial. But we have to **end** this killing game.”

 

Kiibo looks to Saihara, “What are you saying? Do you have a plan?”

 

Saihara looks down, “Yes, it’s going to need more investigation work done, but it might just work. So we need to keep moving.”

 

Harukawa looks to the door, “What about the other two then?”

 

Saihara sighs, “We’re all worried, but we have to trust that neither one of them would go down so easily. We have to trust Himiko when she says she has this and trust Kichi to not give up without having given the mastermind hell. If we just stand around here twiddling our thumbs, we’d be disrespecting their wishes.”

 

Shirogane begins, “Well those two are the Ultimate Magician and Supreme Leader, they’re bound to find some super amazing clue between the two of them and a way to get out.”

 

Harukawa looks back to the others, “I hope you’re right.”

 

Kiibo looks down in thought, “If it’s clues you’re looking for then try checking the classroom on the second floor. I caught a glimpse of something weird in there while battling Monokuma in the courtyard. The clue you’re looking for may be in there.”

 

“Something odd?” Saihara mumbles.

 

“Just hurry! Dawn is quickly approaching! And I’m worried about the other two. I need to make sure Monokuma isn’t trying anything. Be careful guys,” And just like that Kiibo takes his leave.

 

Harukawa speaks up, “Me and Shirogane will go investigate the labs, you go check out what Kiibo mentioned Saihara.”

 

With that, the others split up, but on the other side of the rumble sits Yumeno and Ouma.

 

Yumeno is quick to run up to Ouma, “Koki! What happened!?”

Ouma coughs, “Kiiboy was fighting Monokuma and accidentally broke the wall. We need to find another way out.”

 

Yumeno has worry in her eyes, but she nods “Okay, you take a breather, I’ll find us a way out!” Ouma nods. Yumeno runs around the room checking everything, she finds a hidden door in the wall. She turns back the Ouma, “I found a passageway!”

 

Ouma pulls himself up, “Good work, Yumeno,” He stumbles his way over to her, “Now let’s see where this leads.”

 

The two traverse the path, and exit into the girl’s bathroom on the first floor. Yumeno begins, “We’re in the girls’ bathroom, how . . .?”

 

Ouma steps in further, “We need to tell Saihara-chan about this,” Yumeno really looks at Ouma for the first time since the start of the investigation and realizes he’s still hasn’t cleaned up his injuries or even gotten a shirt yet. She involuntary gasps. Ouma turns to look at her, “What’s wrong Yumeno-chan?”

 

“You’re still bloody,” she blurts out.

 

Ouma tilts his head, “Aaaaand?”

“We have to clean the bolt wounds otherwise they’ll get infected! You don’t even have a shirt on!” Yumeno shouts in alarm.

 

Ouma’s brows furrow, “But we have to talk to Saihara-”

 

Yumeno cuts him off, “I’ll just get one of the others to get him. We need to get you cleaned up!” Before Ouma can stop her she runs to the door and calls for Harukawa and Shirogane. Harukawa comes around the corner, “Maki! I found something, you need to tell Shuichi and get him to come over here!” Harukawa nods and runs upstairs, leaving Yumeno to turn and head back into the bathroom where she starts to help clean the blood and dirt off Ouma to best they can.

 

One floor up is the detective hard at work investigating a machine which appears to make flashback lights. _Are the flashback lights not real? Is all of this a lie? What can we trust?_

 

But before he can get too caught up in his thought the door burst open, shutting the machine down automatically. Harukawa shouts from the door, “Shuichi come with me, Himiko has gotten out of the room and has something to show you.”

 

Saihara looks over to the flashback light then back to Harukawa, he nods and follows her as they rush to the first-floor girl’s bathroom. Yumeno isn’t standing there, so Harukawa tries knocking on the door. Yumeno sticks out her head, “Oh! Come inside the secret is in here,” She opens the door further to grab both Harukawa’s and Saihara wrist and pulls them inside.

 

They see Ouma sitting on the ground surrounded by bloody paper towels. He briefly turns to look at them before going back to cleaning is injuries. Yumeno drags them closer to the utility closet. And presses on the wall, it opens revealing the passageway Ouma and Yumeno had taken to get there in the first place. Harukawa and Saihara share a glance before Yumeno begins to speak, “It leads to the secret room Koki and I were trapped in. But I couldn’t get you guys since I was trying to help clean Koki up.”

 

The two notice Ouma definitely looks cleaner now than he had the last time the saw him. Though he still remains shirtless.

 

Harukawa looks to Yumeno, “Here, Himiko give me your jacket, I’m going to use it to help wrap Oum-” Harukawa sighs, “Kokichi’s wounds.”

 

Ouma pauses in his actions but doesn’t look over at the other three. Yumeno does, however, hand over her jacket. Both her and Harukawa go back to Ouma and finish patching him up. Saihara goes to briefly investigate the passageway. Motherkuma is broken, but before shutting off informs Saihara about a voice-print system requiring the mastermind to say “give birth” in order for Motherkuma can make a new Monokuma, confirming what Ouma had theorized earlier. When he gets back up the girls have finished and are quietly talking with Ouma. Saihara takes off his own jacket and drapes it over Ouma when he walks up. Ouma says nothing, pulling the jacket closer.

 

Harukawa begins, “If that’s everything let’s get the other two and head outside to let Monokuma know we’re ready.”

 

The other three nods and get a move on, all their minds focused on one thing. Ending the killing game once and for all.

* * *

 

But a brief moment before they enter the elevator has Ouma pausing and asking Kiibo, “Wait Kiiboy, how good is your eyesight?”

 

Kiibo turns to him, “Why? But if you must know my eyes have been modified to be able to zoom in on great microscopic levels.”

 

Ouma then grabs the bug-vac, “Could you look in this thing’s tank and tell us what you see then?”

 

Kiibo does look despite his confusion, “O-oh! There appears to be microscopic Monokumas with little microphones and cameras. Here I’ll take a picture,” he prints a picture of the micro Monokumas out, “Here.”

 

Ouma hums, “It’s like I thought then.”

 

Harukawa glares at him, “What do you mean by that?”

 

Ouma looks her in the eye, “Monokuma, and by extension, the mastermind, has been watching us this whole time.”

 

A disturbing thought, one that none could respond to. So instead they went into the elevator and down into the trial room.

 

* * *

 

All six of the current survivors stand at their podiums. Monokuma on his throne, as usual. The courtroom was still covered in rubble from when the exisals had blown. It was time.

 

Monokuma begins, “Since you called this trial Saihara-kun, you get the privilege of saying what the point of it even is.”

 

Saihara looks around at everyone before speaking, “The point is to retry a past case. More specifically Rantaro Amami’s murder. Because I have on good authority to believe we voted wrong!”

 

Chaos,

“We voted wrong!?” Yumeno.

“But Monokuma said the blackened was Akamatsu . . . ,” Harukawa.

“Are you trying to say Monokuma is wrong!?” Kiibo.

“Maybe not wrong, but rather lying,” Ouma.

 

Saihara raises his hand slightly, “In order to determine that, I’ve decided we should retry the first case. If Monokuma got it wrong, regardless of whether or not it was on purpose, the validity of all the trials would be called into question. Then the entire killing game wouldn’t make sense!”

Monokuma tilts his head, “So you’re trying to end the game by pointing out my failure as a gamemaster then?”

 

Saihara keeps fighting, “You should have no problem with this you really don’t have anything to hide.”

 

Monokuma nods, “So it seems we are ending right where we began. How exciting! Okay, let’s do it!”

 

“Where are we even going to start?” Kiibo asks.

 

“Hmm, if we are revealing new truths why don’t we start with our beloved Amami-chan’s talent. You know what it is right Saihara-chan?” Ouma says.

 

Saihara brings a hand to his mouth. _Amami’s talent? There’s something that we saw earlier that said what it was. That’s right!_ “Amami-kun’s talent is as the Ultimate Survivor.”

 

“Ultimate Survivor?” questions Harukawa.

 

“That’s right! He said it in his video!” Yumeno jumps in.

 

“It was because Amami-kun had survived another killing game in the past. Of course afterward, he got his memory wiped like the rest of us and put into this killing game.”

 

“Then wasn’t his first killing game, but rather just his last one,” Ouma contributes.

 

“But why would do this again?” Shirogane asks.

 

“I’m not entirely sure yet. But I do know at the very least what he planned to do in this killing game. It’s why he went to the library before he died and how even knew about the hidden door in the first place.” answers Saihara.

 

“Didn’t find it at random, like you and Akamatsu?” questions Yumeno.

 

“I thought the same thing at first, but now I have proof that says otherwise. . . . His survivor perk,” Saihara pulls out the bloody monopad from the secret room, “ This monopad is different than the ones the rest of us have and the one we found on Amami-kun’s body. Since it had a map of the entire academy, including areas that we hadn’t unlocked, including the hidden room. But not only that it has a note addressed to Amami-kun from himself. Supposedly before his memories had gotten erased.”

 

“Strange to think Amami-kun had gotten that for a survivor perk. Or even a survivor perk at all,” Kiibo says.

 

“He must’ve found out about the hidden room with that!” comes from Ouma

 

“How can you be so sure?” asks Harukawa.

 

“I think I can answer that part,” Saihara begins, “It relates the note Amami-kun put on the monopad. It says the best chance he has at catching the mastermind is when they go to make a spare Monokuma in the library’s hidden room.”

 

“I see, after all with Monokuma’s time limit motive. It makes sense if wanted to catch them that he’d go to the library,” Harukawa says.

 

“And he went just before time ran out. He came to the same conclusion Shuichi and Akamatsu did,” Kiibo finishes.

 

“It’s kind of ironic then how the Ultimate Survivor died because of Akamatsu’s trap,” Himiko says.

 

“But why did come to us about it then?” Kiibo asks.

 

“That’s because he didn’t trust us Kiiboy. And can you blame him? The killing game just started and had no clue who would be willing to kill or who the mastermind could be,” Ouma answers.

 

“That and in his message he warns himself to only give this information to people he could trust,” Saihara adds.

 

“But wait, if he didn’t remember writing this, then I find it hard to believe he really trusted it,” Harukawa says.

 

“Maybe that’s also part of the reason he didn’t consult us. He was confused by it. But I think the big thing is as Kichi said, he didn’t trust us. He probably didn’t trust the note either, and it’s possible he didn’t even trust himself for that matter. He must’ve felt lost,” Saihara continues.

 

“That’s why he took the chance? He went to the library but got got by Akamatsu’s trap,” Harukawa finishes.

 

“The only people who originally knew about that hidden door was me and Amami-kun. Then I told Akamatsu. The difference between us I guess, I had someone I trusted,” Saihara says.

 

“And then Akamatsu-san killed him! What a snake!” Monokuma interrupts. Saihara doesn’t respond. Monokuma continues, “So what’s your point? You know about Amami-kun’s talent and goal. Big deal, it doesn’t change how he died, so it’s pointless.”

 

“I wouldn’t be so quick to say that Monokuma! I think Saihara-chan had a good reason to bring it up. I think it will even bring something else to light,” Ouma responds.

 

“Y-yeah! We just need to look over the case again, right?” Shirogane says.

 

“Then let’s begin,” Harukawa says.

“Yes! Let’s go over it together one final time!” Kiibo shouts.

“With my powers, I’m going to make sure we find the truth!” Yumeno also shouts.

“I don’t get what’s going on, but I guess we’re going to show Monokuma up,” Shirogane says.

“Nishishi, now things are really heating up! Let’s do this!” this time the sinister smile on Ouma’s face is for Monokuma.

_I don’t know if we can do this, yet. But we have to keep trying. Yeah, in the end, we’ll prove Monokuma wrong and corner the mastermind!_

 

“Amami went to the library, just before the time limit expired,” Harukawa.

“Using the information in the survivor perk, he went to the hidden door,” Kiibo.

“All to expose the mastermind!” Yumeno.

“But before he could, he died,” Shirogane.

“Yeah, by Akamatsu-san’s fully automatic killing machine, like I’ve been saying this whole time. The only person at the scene of the crime was Amami-kun himself!” Monokuma.

 

“That’s not possible! Amami had his survivor perk with him when he checked the hidden door. But when we investigated the body, it wasn’t there. He only had his student handbook. Which means someone else had to have been there to take it after his murder!” Saihara retorts.

 

“Interesting deduction Saihara-kun, but Amami-kun never even took his survivor perk with him the first place,” Monokuma tries.

 

“No, that’s wrong! It the final picture of Amami-kun you can clearly see he’s holding a monopad, not only that but the way his fingers are placed matches the pattern of the blood splatter on this survivor perk monopad,” Saihara retorts.

 

“Oh, but then where did you go hmmm?” Monokuma questions.

 

“It was taken into the hidden room in the library by none other than the mastermind!” Saihara answers.

 

“Do you think when he got hit in the head, it caused that outline in the blood?” Yumeno asks.

 

Saihara nods, “Yes, that’s why the monopad Amami-kun is holding must be his survivor perk!”

 

“Oh? How can you be so sure? If the mastermind really took the survivor perk they would’ve ended up on one of the cameras, but they didn’t. Now did they?” Monokuma refutes.

 

Shirogane agrees, “That’s right! In order to get into the hidden room, you need to move the bookcase. But with those hidden cameras set up . . . . Suffice to say they would’ve been caught on camera if they used that door.”

 

“None of the pictures had anyone else on them, which means your reasoning is wrong. There’s no way the mastermind could’ve taken Amami-kun’s survivor perk!” Monokuma shouts.

 

“Now hold on, the cameras had a 30-second interval, the mastermind could’ve worked in between that interval,” Kiibo interjects.

 

“The mastermind could have easily waited in the hidden room for the right moment, then BAM! Jump out and kill Amami-chan,” Ouma continues.

 

“Then they could’ve taken the survivor perk and went back into the hidden room!” Yumeno finishes.

 

“That’s where you’re wrong!” Monokuma shouts.

 

“Oh? Wrong? Where are we wrong, Monokuma?” Ouma questions.

 

“The cameras had intervals the mastermind could’ve worked in,” Kiibo.

“30 seconds if I remember correctly, the mastermind could’ve easily worked in the amount time,” Harukawa.

“Then we could have the mastermind been in between the intervals?” Monokuma.

“In the secret room obviously,” Yumeno.

“But if they were in the hidden room, how would they know what was going on in the library?” Monokuma.

 

“It’s easy, they had surveillance cameras in the form of microscopic Monokumas,” Saihara interjects.

 

“It’s likely they send what they see to Motherkuma who then tells the mastermind and Monokuma. The both of them would know what’s going on the entire time then,” Ouma adds.

 

“And Motherkuma could tell the mastermind about the intervals!” Yumeno continues.

 

“Then they could’ve gone back into the hidden room with Amami’s survivor perk,” Harukawa finishes.

 

“But why steal it?” Shirogane asks.

 

“The mastermind didn’t want us to get ahold of it. Possibly afraid of what we could accomplish having that information,” Saihara answers.

 

“I wasn’t afraid! It was just the survivor perk was meant for his eyes only, he could’ve shared it with you. . . . but it’s not the same as seeing it directly. You know? It wouldn’t be just for his eyes. So, of course, I took the perk back when he died,” Monokuma refuted.

 

“That sounds like a lie and a half to me you know. Oh, sure you look calm, but are you- or well were you really?” Ouma points out.

 

“Didn’t the survivor perk mention the mastermind?” Yumeno asks.

 

“That’s correct Himiko, and I’m sure we would’ve tried a lot harder to work together knowing there was only really one person we would’ve been truly up against,” Kiibo answers.

 

“And you couldn’t have that. You needed us to be at each other's’ throats,” Harukawa adds.

 

“But either way, this confirms the mastermind took Amami-kun’s Survivor Perk,” Saihara finishes.

 

“Then did the mastermind mess up? Why didn’t they use Monokuma to get it?” Yumeno asks.

 

“That’s because it’s impossible,” Monokuma begins to answer, “there’s a rule stating I can’t participate in a murder. And that includes tampering with the crime scene.”

 

“The school rules huh? Kichi, didn’t you make a couple of jokes about that earlier?” Saihara looks over to boy addressed.

 

Said boy tilts his head, “Are you giving me hints now Saihara-chan? My my, that’s a new one, you’re never really boring are you?” But he brings his head and looks to Monokuma, “You know Monokuma, there’s an anime I think I watched once had a character sacrifice a relative to kick start a killing game. And you know I think there's a quite a lot of people who would get a kick out of watching a bunch of gifted students forced to participate in a killing game. Is that what you were talking about Saihara-chan? Because I think that's what you wanted me to talk about,” Ouma smirks.

 

“I thought that’s what you said. You know it begs the question, are we being watched? If so then-” Saihara answers.

 

“What a waste! If only he lived longer. Things would be a lot more interesting then,” Monokuma interrupts.

 

“Stop! Changing! The! Subject!” Yumeno shouts.

 

 _Based on Monokuma’s reactions, chances are Kichi is right. We’re being watched. That just means this plan might just work. Maybe we can ruin this killing game by proving it doesn't adhere to its own rules. I- no. We can end this while killing game, once and for all!_ But Monokuma interrupts his thoughts, “You are aware we’re supposed to be discussing Amami-kun’s murder case, right? If anything I’m the only one on the right topic at all. So it doesn’t matter if the mastermind took the survivor perk, Akamatsu-san killed Amami-kun plain and simple.”

 

“No, I’m certain that’s wrong! It’s just a lie that you and mastermind made up!” Saihara fights.

 

“You saying I’m a liar? Thought that was Ouma, no?” Monokuma questions.

 

“Fuck you too Monokuma,” Ouma says at the same time Saihara says, “Akamatsu didn’t kill Amami-kun. The real culprit was the mastermind!”

 

“What do you mean the mastermind’s the culprit?” Shirogane asks.

 

“And you call yourself the Ultimate Detective?” Yumeno, Ouma, and Kiibo starting to yell back at Monokuma for this. But he continues, “Trying to overturn the first trial’s results. . . . I’m not going to stand for this!” Monokuma shouts.

 

“Maybe Akamatsu-san was the mastermind then, and she faked her own death in her execution?” Monokuma.

“Can we even prove the mastermind is the culprit? I really don’t want to get this wrong,” Shirogane.

“Yeah, yeah! I mean you already have proof it was Akamatsu-san, the shot put ball was in her bag. The reason Amami-kun went by the bookcase was because of her trap with the camera’s flash. And the rest of the trap set up to crack his skull open. Which it did!” Monokuma.

“Can we really be sure it was Akamatsu-chan’s shot put ball that killed Amami-chan?” Ouma.

 

 _Suppose he’s returning the hint from earlier?_ “Actually I’m certain it wasn’t the shot put ball Akamatsu had that killed Amami-kun. Kichi found another shot put ball in the trash can for the hidden room. The about this one, however, is it had no blood on it, instead of pink fabric fibers. The same kind of pink that Akamatsu’s vests are,” Saihara interrupts the debate.

 

“And Akamatsu-san had wrapped the shot put ball she was carrying around in her bag in one of her spare vests,” Kiibo adds.

 

“Which means the ball Koki found was the one in Akamatsu’s bag,” Yumeno continues.

 

“And it didn’t have blood on it, so it couldn’t have been the murder weapon,” Harukawa finishes.

 

“But what if the mastermind washed off the blood?” Shirogane asks.

 

“Nope! The fibers would’ve been washed off as well if that was the case,” Ouma answers.

 

Saihara adds, “There’s no doubt she tried her trap, but in the end, her plan failed. That shot never hit Amami-kun.”

 

“Wa-wait, if you found the shot put ball in the hidden room then the mastermind must have taken it. But why?”

 

“My guess is that the mastermind took Akamatsu-san’s shot put ball, after they hit Amami-kun with their own shot, to frame her for Amami-kun’s murder,” Kiibo answers.

 

Harukawa adds, “Then Shuichi is right. The person who killed Amami wasn’t Akamatsu, it was the mastermind.”

 

“But why would the mastermind kill Amami-kun?” Shirogane asks.

 

“I believe it was because of the time limit motive. With that in place someone had to die, otherwise, we all would’ve been executed instead. Which would have made for a very boring game. Which is probably why they let Akamatsu get as far as she did with her plan, but either way her plan failed. Which is not a good thing in the slightest, so the mastermind stepped in,” Saihara answers.

 

“You know what bothers me about that motive? In rules, it states Monokuma can’t get involved in the killing game and even punishments for rule breaking are carried out by the exisals. So then how was an army of Monokuma’s going to kill us? Especially when considering how strict Monokuma usually is about the rules,” Ouma asks?

 

“That’s because that was a lie! And you fell for it, besides we could only actually have one motive provided at one time,” Monokuma cackled, “Oh and before you ask the reason why the mastermind went along with it anyways was so that you wouldn’t think that I’m a liar. But that doesn’t matter now.”

 

“So not only was Akamatsu executed for false charges, but there wasn’t even a purpose to her death either?” Yumeno questions.

 

“Yup and Monokuma let us believe it. Even Akamatsu believed herself to be a killer. And yet you,” Saihara looks over to Monokuma, “want to tell us the game is fair!? That there are rules!? That’s bullshit! This game doesn’t make any sense! And it isn’t even remotely fair when the people behind it cheat!”

 

“If Monokuma twisted one trial’s results who’s to say the other’s weren’t twisted too. Kokichi already showed us that Monokuma doesn’t always know the right answer. This is just the final nail in the coffin to prove this game isn’t fair,” Harukawa adds.

 

“It’s not even a killing game anymore, it’s just . . . . killing,” Yumeno says.

 

“I won’t ever forgive them for this. For any of this. I **will** avenge Akamatsu. I will avenge everyone who’s unfairly died here! **I will end this killing game!** ” Saihara announces.

 

“Then let’s do the next step, let’s find the mastermind and bring them to justice,”  Kiibo says.

 

“The mastermind must still be here. And what if they snuck on when setting up for the Go- Ah!” Shirogane begins.

 

“What’s is it!? Tell us or I’ll curse you!” Yumeno asks.

 

“It’s Akamatsu’s younger twin sister! It’s like Junko Enoshima all over again!” Shirogane finishes.

 

“No, . . . . it’s really not. It has to be one of us, remember what Motherkuma said, the mastermind comes to the hidden room often. If it was someone not participating in the killing game there’s no reason they wouldn’t just always be in the hidden room. It would be too risky to go between the academy and hidden room otherwise,” Saihara retorts.

 

“So then how are we going to figure out who the mastermind is?” Yumeno asks.

 

“It’s easy! We just have to go over out alibis for that night again. There’s bound to be a slip up in there somewhere,” Ouma answers.

 

Saihara nods, “Yeah, let’s begin. During the time of the murder, I was in the first-floor classroom with Akamatsu.”

“I was in the basement gaming room with Kai, Gonta, and Maki. Along with Tenko and Angie,” Yumeno.

“I can confirm being in the basement with her and those four others. So neither one of us could have killed Amami,” Harukawa.

“I was in my room. And I think Hoshi-kun and Ouma were in their rooms too,” Kiibo.

“Yup, Kiiboy is right. I was in my room up until the body discovery announcement. Same going for Kiibo and Hoshi-chan,” Ouma.

“I was in the dining hall with Shinguji, Iruma, and Tojo. Though I left briefly to go to the bathroom. But I also couldn’t have killed Amami,” Shirogane.

 

“Shirogane-chan what did you just say?” Ouma asks.

 

“Wha-what?” Shirogane asks back.

 

“Did you just say that you went to girls bathroom, on the first floor?” Ouma continues to prod.

 

“We-well yeah. I don’t see where else I would’ve gone,” Shirogane answers.

 

“Well there’s our slip up,” Ouma says.

 

“What do you mean!?” Shirogane questions.

 

“I think I can take it from here. Thing is about that bathroom, it holds the other entrance to the hidden room. Shirogane this means you’re the only person here who would have had access to the hidden room during Amami’s murder. You do know what this means, right?” Saihara asks.

 

“Are you accusing me of murdering Amami?” Shirogane asks.

 

“Well, we aren't saying you didn't. Face it, you do look the most suspicious,” Ouma retorts.

 

“No! Akamatsu does! Or maybe even you did it Ouma and are just trying to pin the blame on me! You don't even have a solid alibi!” Shirogane shouts.

 

“No Kichi couldn't have done it. You would have seen him if he went through the bathroom entrance and me and Akamatsu would’ve seen him go for the library entrance. And we already proved Akamatsu couldn't either,” Saihara defends.

 

“Well you don't have any proof it's me either!” Shirogane continues.

 

“No that's wrong! Based on Motherkuma's voice print system it's clear to see. Motherkuma only follows the mastermind’s commands. We all said the give birth command except for you. There's only one good reason you wouldn't say the command,” Saihara says.

 

“It's because Shirogane-san is the mastermind, that's what you're trying to get at right?” Kiiboy asks.

 

Saihara hangs his head, “Yes. I wish it didn’t come to this. But Shirogane-san is my detective work is wrong, tell me. Please defend yourself and prove how you couldn’t be the mastermind. I want to believe in you, so please.”

 

Yumeno jumps up, “Yeah! Just give some evidence to refute it”

 

Kiiboy gives a small smile, “We were wrong once we could be wrong again.”

 

“If you truly aren’t the mastermind then refute it. Prove to us you aren’t,” Harukawa says.

 

But Shirogane says nothing. Ouma then does it for her, “You can’t refute it can you Shirogane-chan? Then that’s it, you're the mastermind,” his face is surprisingly blank when he says this. Shirogane just gives him a sad smile.

 

“Seems like it huh? But just in case let's go everything one more time. I think you can handle this Shuichi,” Harukawa says.

 

Saihara begins, “Of course. It all started like we thought it did before. Akamatsu set a trap for the mastermind and Amami-kun went to the basement with Maki, Himiko, Kaito, Gonta, Tenko-san, and Angie. I was in the classroom with Akamatsu as she prepared to use her trap. But while all of this was going on the true culprit of this case was leaving the dining hall and going to the first-floor girl's bathroom. Then in there taking a secret passageway to the hidden room in the library. With them, a shot put ball in case Akamatsu’s trap failed. And well it did, somehow the shot put ball she rolled missed Amami-kun. But that's where the culprit comes in. The snuck up behind Amami-kun and used their own shot put ball. Then taking Akamatsu’s shot and Amami-kun’s survivor perk and retreating into the hidden room. Dropping the items off the culprit headed back through the secret passageway to the bathroom. And then rushed down to the library with the rest of everyone upstairs when the body announcement went off. And then watched as Akamatsu took the fall. And if I’m wrong refute me, but as it stands now. . . . That culprit is you, Ultimate Cosplayer, Tsumugi Shirogane!” He points in the mastermind's direction.

 

“Well, Shirogane-san? Was Shuichi wrong? Can you please tell us?” Kiiboy asks.

 

“Of-of course he’s wrong,” Shirogane says.

 

“Then explain how,” Harukawa returns.

 

“You can do it Shirogane! I believe in you!” Yumeno cheers.

 

“Th-thanks, but I didn’t do it!” Shirogane shouts.

 

“If you’re so insistent on it not being you then prove it! Give us irrefutable evidence! Otherwi-” Ouma tries to respond.

 

Before being cut off by Shirogane, “It’s Junko Enoshima!”

 

Ouma gives her the driest stare he can manage, “Are you fucking kidding me!? That’s the argument you're using!”

 

“It’s always been her though! Hope’s Peak’s and Jabberwock Island’s killing games were both her! Though she didn’t participate but controlled everything from outside the game. Even if it’s boring or repetitive it’s always her! Then it must be her again!” Shirogane argues.

 

“Junko Enoshima is dead. Or did you forget?” Harukawa refutes.

 

“N-no it has to be her!” Shirogane tries. Shirogane looks down then back up briefly, “Because Junko Enoshima is. . . . “

 

Monokuma asks, “Junko Enoshima is?”  
  
Shirogane continues, “Junko Enoshima is. . . .”

 

“Tell us already!” Yumeno shouts.

 

“Junko Enoshima is . . . .” A fog overtakes Shirogane, when it comes back it reveals . . . . “Right the fuck here!” Junko Enoshima, “Sorry to keep you waiting! Even if you weren’t waiting, even if you’re asking yourself, ‘what? Again?’ The ultimate despair takes the stage once more! It’s me, Junko Enoshima the 53rd!”

 

Monokuma laughs, “And there you go! The mastermind is once again Junko Enoshima!”

 

“Aren’t-aren’t you Shirogane? The girl who’s survived with us so far?” Yumeno asks.

 

Junko chuckles, “Sorry sweetie, but you can just forget about Tsumugi Shirogane,” Suddenly it’s Shirogane standing there, “I’m just a character. You know, a lie,” then it’s Junko again, “Sorry to her fans. If you even exist that is. Calling her your friend? It’s laughable, no really I’m going to laugh!”

 

The others in the group falter, but Ouma just laughs a cruel laugh. It’s the same one he used after Gonta’s death, the one very one he used to trick everyone into thinking he was the mastermind. This time though it has a different target, “Lies are my thing you know. And so you and I both know that’s a load of bullshit.”

 

“But her voice and face, she’s exactly like-” Harukawa begins.

 

“Junko Enoshima,” Kiibo finishes.

 

“Of course I am! Isn’t it just sooo despairing? Well does it!?” Junko responds.

 

“Junko Enoshima is dead! It’s not possible for you to be here right now!” Saihara shouts.

 

“And why call yourself the 53rd?” Yumeno asks.

 

“Because I, Junko, much like history, repeat myself. As you can see I’m a perfect reproduction of Junko Enoshima,” Junko answers.

 

“So what I’m really hearing is your just some prick who’s decided to pretend to be Junko,” Harukawa isn’t asking a question.

 

Junko pouts, “I am a perfect reproduction!” It’s Shirogane again, “And perfect reproductions are the exact same thing as the original.”

 

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. And I’ve met Momota-chan. But either way, it doesn’t matter,” Ouma responds.

 

Harukawa looks thoughtful, “You know he’s right. Either way, you’re the mastermind, so if we just kill you, the game ends.”

 

“Oh don’t be so mean! Besides just like Motherkuma told you, the killing game will never end,” Junko.

 

“Let’s just kill her and get this over with, she’s clearly bluffing,” Harukawa says.

 

“Wai-wait! Maybe we should hear her-”

 

Saihara cuts him off, “No Kiibo, this class trial is over. She killed Amami-kun and Akamatsu, then had Monokuma cover it up. That’s all we need for a guilty verdict. The trials are rigged and this game is illegitimate. So you know what? It’s over.”

 

Junko begins, “Aww, but I just got here. And I messed up, big deal. So what?”

“Are you kidding me!” Yumeno shouts, “Do you really think the viewers are just going to accept that response!?”

 

Junko tilts her head, “Viewers? What viewers?”

“I think you got the wrong idea. Here let me tell you out the event that inspired this all,” Shirogane.

“It all started when the meteor impacts-” Junko.

 

Ouma sighs, “Oh would you quit it already. I’ll admit it, you got some balls lying to me. But that’s just the thing, you’re lying. So why don’t you knock it off,” he ends this with glaring at the mastermind.

 

“Oh? But I’m not lying,” Junko says.

 

“Sorry but Kichi is right, you’re lying. You were about to tell us the story we saw in the flashback lights, right? But the thing is those flashback lights contradict with this book,” Saihara hold up the Complete History of Hope’s Peak Academy, “And to prove it let’s go over what we remember and I’ll point out the contradictions as they appear.”

 

Everyone nods except for Junko (for obvious reasons) and Ouma (Who never got the flashback lights pertaining to Hope’s Peak and it’s history.)

 

“It starts with the Tragedy,” Harukawa.

“An event taking place at the original Hope’s Peak Academy. Bring chaos to the entire world,” Kiibo.

“The cause of all that despair was just a single high school girl,” Yumeno.

 

“That’s where we’re wrong. It wasn’t just a single person bring despair. The phrase ‘Ultimate Despair’ wasn’t just referring to Enoshima-san, it was for the group and movement that came after her,” Saihara retorts.

 

Ouma tilts his head, “Ohh, I get it! Basically, the Ultimate Despair is more than one person, which conflicts with your memories.”

 

Saihara nods, “Yes, now let’s keep going, there’s still more discrepancies.”

 

“Do have to? I’m bored,” Junko whines.

 

“Shut. Up,” Harukawa tells her.

 

“Let’s continue,” Kiibo pulls them back on topic.

 

“Though the Tragedy was the main way Junko spread despair. She had other methods,” Kiibo.

“Like the 78th class of Hope’s Peak killing game,” Yumeno.

“They were held captive by the Ultimate Despair and forced into a killing game much like our own,” Harukawa.

 

“There’s the second contradiction, the Ultimate Despair never trapped the 78th class. They locked themselves inside Hope’s Peak Academy,” Saihara retorts.

 

“Locked themselves in?” Kiibo asks.

 

“Why would they do that?” asks Harukawa.

 

“It was a project by Hope’s Peak, a shelter project. During the Tragedy, the 78th class agreed to shut themselves in the school for their own protection,” Saihara answered.

 

“So our memories of them being trapped are fake?” Yumeno asks.

 

“It’s likely that at least all the memories from the flashback lights are fake,” answers Ouma this time.

 

“Nah, your memories are fine. The book is just half-assed,” Junko says.

 

Yumeno pouts, “Even I can tell you’re lying.”

 

“Let’s just keep going. I want to talk about the rebuilt Hope’s Peak Academy we were attending,” Saihara focuses.

 

“Uh, ok, Hope’s Peak was rebuilt and so the recruitment of talented student began again,” Kiibo.

 

“Wait, there’s no need to go any further. There’s the last major contradiction,” Saihara says.

 

“Really? Just like that?” Yumeno asks.

 

“Yes, the last contradict was the recruitment of talented students. We remember the new Hope’s Peak taking applications, however, it’s written here that the students were scouted for not accepted into the school via applications. Which is strange to hear because I thought I had **chosen** to go there, not chosen by the school itself,” Saihara says.

 

“Are you saying we’re remembering it wrong?” Harukawa asks.

 

“What if the book is wrong!? Researchers make mistakes too you know!” Yumeno insists.

 

“True, but I’m not just getting this from the book. There’s more evidence pointing to our memories being wrong as well. One such piece comes from Amami-kun’s other survivor perk, a video to himself. We believe this is the third killing game after Hope’s Peak and Jabberwock Island, but in Amami-kun’s video, he states he was in a killing game before this one. Amami-kun, however, isn’t listed a participate in either of those two killing games. He wasn’t in either killing game Junko hosted, now I don’t know which killing game was in, but it’s still an inconsistency worth pointing out. And it doesn’t stop there. One big one being Kichi’s account,” Saihara retorts.

 

Ouma hums, “I’m guessing this has to do with the reason Harumaki shot me with a crossbow. Me being, what was it? A Remnant of Despair, whatever that means.”

 

Harukawa looks down somewhat sheepishly, though it’s Saihara who speaks, “Yes, we remember you being one. But I have a hard time believing that’s true. Especially after watching your motive video, there’s no way you can be a Remnant of Despair.”

 

“Koki’s motive video? How does that prove anything?” Yumeno asks.

 

“Saihara smiles a bit, “Because Kichi’s motive video reveals that for the organization he runs they have two main mottos. One of those mottos is explicitly no killing. The Remnant of Despairs constantly killed or had a hand in something which resulted in death. And if Kichi is so against killing that his motive video mentions it then there’s no way he can be a Remnant. Besides his main organization based on the video is only 10 people, that’s not nearly enough to be the group who tried to sabotage the Gopher project.”

 

“Tha-that’s not possible,” Harukawa tries.

 

“You know we never heard him say it himself,” Kiibo says.

 

“That’s because I have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s like Saihara-chan said earlier, I never saw the flashback light which told you this. So I couldn’t even tell you if I was. Which by the way I’m not,” Ouma defends.

 

“If only he saw it, then we’d know for sure,” Yumeno adds.

 

Saihara rubs the back of his neck, “Actually I think it’s better he didn’t. Since it’s clear those affected by the flashback lights were wrong. All these inconsistencies are coming from the flashback lights after all.”

 

“It’s the flashback lights’ fault?” Kiibo asks.

 

“That’s what the room you were investigating before checking out the hidden passageway was for I’m guessing Shuichi? It was to make the flashback lights,” Harukawa says.

 

“Yes, and there was something strange about it, I did a little experimenting. And found out you could pick what memories would be on the flashback lights, but the options of what to remember conflicted with each other. On one could be everyone survived and on the other is no one survived. Strange how something to help us recover our memories, which should only be one truth, had multiple possible truths,” Saihara answers.

 

“What’s your point? What does that mean about your memories and the flashback lights?” Monokuma asks.

 

Saihara takes a deep breath, “It means the memories for the flashback lights aren’t memories at all. They’re just implants. None of this is real, is it?”

 

“Those memories were lies. But without the rest of the information, they became to ‘truth’ to us. Huh, the entire time you all we fighting lies completely unaware if the lies you were telling yourselves,” Ouma jokes.

 

“Everything was for absolutely nothing,” Shirogane says. Junko continues, “You know lies are like snowballs. The more you roll them, the bigger they get, and the fun it is when they fall apart. That’s why all of this was just one big lie!”

 

“Everything was fake? Were we even students at Hope’s Peak?” Yumeno asks.

 

“Hmm, let me think. Nope! You have nothing to do with Hope’s Peak. We were never students there, that memory is a lie. Honestly giving you those memories was a mistake I wasn’t planning on making. But I rushed and overlooked the inconsistencies. It’s hopelessly the worst!” Junko/Shirogane answered.

 

“That’s why you tried to kill Kichi? The flashback lights told us he was a remnant of despair. And he told us he was in charge of a cult, a lie he invented himself. He wanted us to truly believe he was the mastermind,” Saihara begins.

 

“That’s why I lied. I took over the killing game and became a thorn in the mastermind’s side. Well looks like you couldn’t get this thorn out that easily huh?” Ouma finishes.

 

Shirogane nods, “Yup, I just played along with your lie. Oh and gave them flashback lights as an extra incentive to try and kill you. But it seems like Momota-kun was more interested in sacrificing himself instead. And after all that work I put in to make sure you guys had hope to keep going after Ouma showed you ‘the outside world.’”

 

“We made you a symbol of hope, so you could face despair,” Monokuma finishes.

 

“You were controlling us with these memories!?” Yumeno shouts.

 

“Of course, new mysteries and truth provide motivation, motivation keeps a story moving. Though I guess that was all just fake motivation,” Junko answers. Shirogane drools, “But either way those memories made you want to face despair. You didn’t give up hope and decided to face this killing game.”

 

“You manipulate our emotions,” Harukawa accuses.

 

“Emotions run like blood, and killing game are no fun if the participates aren’t trying to live,” Junko says.

 

“If those memories aren’t real, then what was all of this? That memory and that one too! And that memory and that memory and that memory! If they’re fake, then where even are we? Why are we even here?” Yumeno asks as she begins to cry.

 

“Guess my plan just fell apart. But this is a class trial so figure it out for yourself,” Junko says.

 

Saihara looks down in thought, “Then who are you? If we were connected to Hope’s Peak then I can understand you being ‘Enoshima-san,’ but you said it yourself. We don’t have any connection to Hope’s Peak. So just who the hell are you!?”

 

“I’m me,” Shirogane says, slipping through several cosplays.

 

But then is stopped by Ouma, “That’s not what we meant.”

 

“Oh calm down, I’m just cosplaying,” Shirogane says.

 

“Cosplay?” Yumeno asks.

 

Flipping through characters Shirogane says, “Yup yup! But it’s a special cosplay. You know since I’m perfectly replicating the character. Even my voice sounds the same!”

 

“Is . . . . Junko Enoshima?” Harukawa begins to ask.

 

“My cosplay? Yes. I don't just cosplay, I can become a multitude of characters. That’s the true talent of the Ultimate Cosplayer,” Shirogane answers.

 

“But wait, how can you cosplay people from Hope’s Peak and Jabberwock Island? What about your cospox?” Saihara asks.

 

“Ahh, you remembered!” Shirogane cheers, “But if I can do this then what does that mean about those two killing games?”

 

Realization dawns on Saihara, “They’re fictional. It’s all . . . . fictional!?”

 

Harukawa blanks, “Fictional?”

 

“Yup! The Tragedy, Hope’s Peak, the Future Foundation, and even the Remnants of Despair don’t exist in reality. It’s all fictional, never ever happened in the real world. All of it taking place in a fictional world called Danganronpa, one we’re in right this very second actually,” Shirogane answers.

 

“This doesn’t make any sense!” Kiibo cries out.

 

Shirogane responds, “Of course it does. We’re all fictional characters.”

 

“Even Hope’s Peak is fake?” Harukawa asks.

 

“Like I’ve been saying, yes. It’s all fictional,” Shirogane says.

 

“Wha-what?” horrified is the only way Saihara’s expression can be described.

 

“Surprising, right? You really thought all of this was real. But hate to be the one that breaks this to you, wait no I’m not! This is Danganronpa, Danganronpa is fictional, all of us are just fictional characters! But the story was just stuffed inside your head. Now we’re just putting on a performance for everyone to see! A cosplayer performance of the whole wide world of Danganronpa!” Shirogane cheers.

 

A shadow covers Ouma’s face as he slams his fist on his stand, “Shut up, right now you lying bitch.”

 

“Oh, you mad because you couldn’t realize I was lying to you before?” Shirogane teases.

 

“Not when I know you’re lying now, so **shut up already!** ” Ouma defends, still not looking up.

 

“Oh? Where did I lie?” Shirogane asks.

 

“You contradicted yourself. You say you can’t cosplay real people and that we are just fictional, but if that’s the case why did you get cospox when you wore Akamatsu-chan’s clothes? So what is it asshole! Are we real or fake!?” Ouma begins to yell. Shirogane stands stunned. She doesn’t seem to know how to respond to that. Ouma keeps going, “What did I break your fucking lie apart! HUH!? What were you going to try and tell us that we’re just characters on a tv show!? Oh! I bet you’re even going to tell us it’s the 53rd season of it, too! You’re going to tell us all about people who love watching us suffer! But none of it is real! Our memories of this world are fake! Our past are fake! THIS ENTIRE GAME IS A FAKE!!! But you know what? Our feelings aren’t fake, our existence isn’t fake!” Ouma had begun looking up at some point, eyes glossy.

 

“We were normal people, but we’re still people. Our lives still matter,” Saihara continues.

 

“You tell us this was all for despair, but what is this really about?” Harukawa asks.

 

Shirogane laughs, “I was being honest when I said this was for despair. Because it is! So what you caught on to the whole thing that the world isn’t actually watching this, that doesn’t matter. Either hope will prevail lie you want, or despair will consume you. And you want the truth, then how about the fact you’re being held captive of a group known as Team Danganronpa. A group I’m part of, we host killing games in the name of Junko Enoshima. We will either make more ultimate despairs or more killing games. But because we used normal people who fell into despair, so the Future Foundation doesn’t care. And we get to keep the despair alive. You will keep going through the killing games until either they kill you or you fall into despair. You don’t get out ever! How despairing.”

 

Horror once again coats the faces of the current killing game participates. _There-there’s nothing we can do? We were really forced into this? We were despair? They’re just getting away with this? What?_ “What does this mean for us?” Saihara chokes out.

 

“Hmm? What do you mean?” Junko asks.

 

“Wha-what’s going to happen to us now?” Saihara tries to clarify.

 

“What are you on about?” Junko asks, “I thought you were going to ruin and end the killing game?” Shirogane continues.

 

“Bu-but there’s nothing we can do, it-it’s impossible,” Yumeno cries.

 

“Giving up yet? Aww, you aren’t even going to try to fight for hope?” Shirogane asks.

 

“All of this . . . . it’s all fake. But it’s such a well-hidden lie, the world won’t stop you. . . . The only people who know . . . . want despair?” Harukawa says.

 

“Ooo, did you fall into despair!? How pretty! Albeit disappointingly boring. At least we’re still somewhat on script.” Junko calls out.

 

_Everything is meaningless? All the fighting we’ve been doing is for nothing? Everything we’ve faced . . . . it means nothing._

 

**_It was like something shut down in all of them. All but two, one robot and one liar. They had gotten the Bad End. But when the universe seemed to ask if they’d like to save this situation neither could bring themselves to agree, but when asked to remedy this situation each felt this is what they needed to do. No matter what Shirogane told them neither would stop till the killing game was over. Just both had two different ideas on how._ **

My inner voice asked me what to do, I think I have to remedy this. I need to use hope to overcome despair! 

**She wants us to play, but no matter what we do we will lose. But what if we just don’t play the game. After all, Saihara won his life without ever playing the knife game. Maybe we could collectively win this one by not playing. Yeah, we can end this killing game!**

**“I will not give up!”** Both Ouma and Kiibo shout together.

“What?” Junko asks.

“We can’t give up now! We always have hope! We must search for hope even in deep despair!” Kiibo shouts.

And at the same time, Ouma shouts, “I said it from the very start I’d win this killing game that’s what I intend to do. Besides I promised Gonta and Momota-chan I’d end this killing game, and I’ll do just that!”

“Hope? Winning?” Saihara questions.

“You can’t win and there’s no hope here,” Junko notes.

“You said this is a game? Games can be won, even if you cheat we can still win this game! I’m not quitting now after how far we’ve gotten!” Ouma.

“You said that because Team Danganronpa is on the down low nobody has taken notice to stop them. But we know! So if no one else will come to save us then we can free ourselves and stop Team Danganronpa ourselves! We still have hope!” Kiibo.

“You really think you have a chance against me!? Against Danganronpa!?” Shirogane calls out, “Don’t make me laugh!”

“Yes! We just need to have hope! There’s always a way!” Kiibo.

“I’ve thrown you off before, I can do it again! You can’t make me break this promise!” Ouma.

“What is this!?” Junko cringes away from the two.

Kiibo smirks, “It’s the power of hope!”

Ouma laughs, “It’s the presence of perseverance!”

**“You can’t have won when we haven’t given up yet!”**

“Ugh, you know what though. If I can get you two to fall into despair then that would be a worthy ending!” Shirogane cheers.

**“We will never fall to you!”**

“Oh? Then get ready everyone! It’s time to settle this once in for all!” Junko calls out.

“This is what Danganronpa is all about!” Monokuma cheers.

“Settle this how?” Kiibo asks.

 

“Well, we have the problem of Monokuma breaking a rule. With that it means I cheated, so let’s start over with a special vote!” Shirogane cheers.

 

“But you’re the one who broke a rule in the first place . . . .,” Yumeno says, voice barely above a whisper.

 

“You know that’s still cheating, trying to brush these broken rules under the rug-” Ouma retorts.

 

Shirogane waves her hand, “Psh, who cares! Let’s do one last vote! But this time the vote will determine between me and you two,” Shirogane points at Ouma and Kiibo, “Which one of us will be punished. Your vote will determine how the story ends. In hope or despair!”

 

“To end in hope?” Yumeno asks.

 

“To end in despair?” Harukawa asks.

 

“We’ll decide?” Saihara asks.

 

“Hope will win! No one here wants despair other than you Shirogane!” Kiibo.

“Despair won’t win, honestly neither should hope. We as people will beat this game!” Ouma.

 

“They-they’re right! We can’t side with the mastermind-” Yumeno tries.

 

“Even if it ends in your suffering?” Shirogane says.

 

“Suffering?” Harukawa asks.

 

Shirogane claps, “Okay let me explain what will happen! If Kiibo and Ouma-kun are punished then killing game must continue as per the rules until there are only two students.”

 

“You’re going to continue the game?” Saihara asks.

 

“Aww, don't worry it’s like there’s going to be any more murders. The rest of you have already given up! You get to live happily ever after in this game. Of course, Team Danganronpa will be starting another game somewhere else like we always do, but still you guys won’t be killing,” Shirogane tries.

 

“No! Imprisoned in this school, living the lives of despair-” Kiibo.

“It’s no way to live! Sitting around here forever is barely even surviving!” Ouma.

 

“Well, it’s not like it matters if you get out, Team Danganronpa will make sure you never get to speak a word about what happened in here,” Shirogane reminds. Junko continues, “But of course there’s the other option, if I am to be punished. Then the killing game will end. However, this world is programmed so that you can only get out when only two participants remain. So of course only two of you can graduate.”

 

“Only two!?” Saihara continues to be horrified.

 

“Out of all five of us . . . . only two can survive?” Harukawa answers.

 

“Yup! And to be nice I’ll let you decide who lives,” Shirogane offers, “So what will it be?”

 

**“I will sacrifice myself!”**

“I can’t even begin the makeup for what have done. I might as well do one good thing with the rest of my life,” Ouma.

“If my death brings hope, then it would be worth it. I will gladly sacrifice myself,” Kiibo.

 

 

“B-but Kiibo, Kichi-” Saihara protests.

 

“It’s okay,” Kiibo.

“We’ll be fine Saihara-chan,” Ouma.

“I will defeat despair even if it destroys my body!” Kiibo.

“You guys deserve to get out, you’ll do the world a lot good! I was ready to sacrifice my own life for this killing for a while now anyway,” Ouma.

 

“K-kiibo! K-kiki!” Yumeno cries out.

 

“Even if you two sacrifice yourselves, we still need one more sacrifice,” Shirogane reminds. She continues, “You don't have to do this though. You can always stay here,” Shirogane begins to constantly change character again, “Yeah! Stay here with me! I want to stay here with all of you! So come on, just stay here!”

 

“Don’t let her fool you!” Kiibo.

“Choosing to stay won’t end this game. You’ll just be trapped here, it won’t be worth it,” Ouma.

**“We need to fight for-”**

“Ourselves!” Ouma.

“Hope!” Kiibo.

 

“Hope?” The other three ask.

 

“Who are you kidding this story ends in despair!” Shirogane calls out.

 

“No, it won’t! It will end in hope! We will destroy despair!” Kiibo.

“We aren’t giving up here! I won’t stop fighting for the others! We will end this game!” Ouma.

**“We will never give up! We won’t lose to you!”**

 

“How is not giving up even going to help you? This won’t end unless someone else sacrifices-” Junko asks.

 

“I’ll sacrifice myself,” Harukawa speaks up.

 

“What?” Saihara asks.

 

“If us three sacrifice ourselves then Shuichi and Himiko get to leave, right? Then they can survive. Kokici and Kiibo are right, we can’t let this game end in despair. Honestly, it’d piss me off if it did,” Harukawa explains.

 

“Even at the possibility of this being scripted?” Shirogane asks, reminding them of the one thing none of them really wanted to think about.

 

Harukawa doesn’t back down, “Even then. If picking hope means I get to kill you then I’ll gladly pick it. I will sacrifice myself to kill you!”

 

“Sacrifice?” Saihara asks. The full extent of what she said hits him, “Ma-maki! Wai-wait!”

 

Harukawa turns away, “Sorry, but I’ve already made up my mind.”

 

“Don’t worry I’m sure you’ll find hope out there!’ Kiibo tries to encourage.

 

“What do you mean, hope? I refuse. I won’t accept that hope!” Saihara refuses.

 

“What? Shuichi?” Kiibo questions.

 

“It’s because of hope that we’re even in this situation, to begin with! So I’m rejecting that hope! We’ve been suffering because of hope this entire time. Shirogane isn’t even really trying to make us despair anymore, she **wants** us to believe in hope!”

 

“She wants us to hope? What do you mean?” Kiibo asks.

 

“This has gone on for who knows how long because of hope. Why would Team Danganronpa keep this going if they didn’t care for the hope that came from it at all? They want to watch hope beat despair so that they may feel more despair. Fighting for hope will only give them what they want. This will never end if we go along with it. Can’t you see despair is the only choice?” Saihara continues.

 

“No, that’s wrong! Despair isn’t the only choice! Nor is hope! Remember what I taught you Saihara! Back when I told you I’d take your life if you lost to me. There’s something I told you in the last game we played. Do you remember Saihara-chan?” Ouma interjects.

 

Saihara looks caught off guard,” Wha?”

 

Ouma smiles, “Come on you can’t seriously have forgotten, have you? How mean.”

 

Saihara brings a hand to his mouth. _Kichi what are talking about? Unless you mean . . . Of course, that’s it! Kichi You’re genius, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that sooner. I can’t believe I’ve let despair and hope blind me like that. I need to make a note to myself to really thank Kichi after all of this._ Saihara gives a smile to match Ouma’s, “No, I remember. We were playing the knife game, but only you went and since you got hurt you said I had won. Even though I never even took my turn. You told me that you can win a game without ever even playing it. That’s what you’re getting at here, we can end this game by simply not playing. Not following either script set out for us.”

 

“Wha-what!?” Junko recoils.

 

“What do you mean Shuichi?” Harukawa asks.

 

Saihara smiles, “They keep doing this because they get the results they want. So let give them a failed experiment. Let’s not give them the satisfaction of doing anything at all!”

 

“Nyeh? Can it really be that simple?” Yumeno asks.

 

“Maybe, maybe not? But do you really want to not try? At least we tried all the options to stop them,” Saihara comforts.

 

“You can’t do this!” Shirogane shrieks.

 

“But we aren’t doing anything Shirogane-chan?” Ouma teases.

 

“Are you really sure this is the right decision?” Kiibo asks.

 

“Of course it’s not! This is supposed to be a battle between hope and despair!’ Shirogane shouts.

 

Saihara and Ouma smile at each other and raise a fist each, **_“Let’s end this killing game! It will never be pointless as long as we try! We will use our lives as weapons if we have to! We will end Danganronpa with our own hands!”_ **

 

Kiibo looks off to the side, not saying anything.

“We got this!” Yumeno cheers.

Harukawa smiles, “Well then it’s voting time, huh?”

Shirogane continues to yelling in the background, but when the voting time runs out.

 

“I swear I didn’t vote!” Yumeno shouts.

 

“I know I didn’t either. And I doubt either Kokichi or Shuichi did. So it’s just Shirogane’s and Kiibo’s vote,” Harukawa says.

 

“You don’t have to worry about my vote. I didn’t vote,” Shirogane smiles.

 

“Just as I thought, Shirogane wanted hope to win,” Saihara concludes.

 

Shirogane shakes her head, “Nope! I just didn’t want to abandon my friends.”

 

“You don’t have the right to call us your friend!” Yumeno shouts.

 

“Aww, I’m just trying to turn over a new leaf before we all die,” Shirogane pouts.

 

“Sounds like bullshit,” Harukawa says.

 

“Alright fine, it’s just. . . . If all of you are willing to give your life to end this game. Then as the gamemaster, I should give my life to continue it,” Shirogane explain.

 

“Was this worth it?” Yumeno asks.

 

“Well I’m pretty sure I know how this is ending but let’s follow protocol anyways,” Shirogane says.

 

But there’s a smile on Saihara’s face, he seems to know something the others don’t. And when the votes are revealed, it proves what he knew that Shirogane once again didn’t account for. No one, not even Kiibo voted.

 

“H-huh?” Shirogane.

“All six of us abstained?” Harukawa.

“Wha-what!? I thought the Kiibo wouldn’t have given up hope?” Yumeno.

Ouma chuckles.

“Phew, that’s relieving,” Saihara.

Kiibo laughs awkwardly, “Yeah, I thought about, but I think Kokichi and Shuichi are right. Maybe we shouldn’t play.”

 

“It’s really over, huh?” Shirogane asks.

 

“What now?” Yumeno asks.

 

“Well none of us voted, so this has to end with a punishment at least. One big group punishment,” Shirogane says.

 

Yumeno looks down, “I-i see.”

 

Saihara gives an awkward smile, “Well I guess it makes sense. We said we’d use our lives to end Danganronpa. We should’ve expected that we’d have to follow through on that.”

 

“Do you even have a punishment for all of us Shirogane?” Ouma asks.

 

Said girl chuckles, “Unfortunately no. But I think Kiibo can do the honors, he does have all the tech in his lab for a reason. Might as well us it. What do you say?”

 

Kiibo sighs, “I-i suppose I can deliver the final punishment. And Monokuma fitted me with a self-destruct button while reattaching my antenna before I met up with you guys by the Shrine of Judgement. I will end this killing game once and for all. Just like we wanted.”

 

“I guess this is it. No one lives, a bit of a bummer,” Yumeno says.

 

“But this means we’re going to likely be the last people to suffer. Right?” Harukawa says.

 

Shirogane nods, “Team Danganronpa is filled with perfectionists, they won’t stand for this. They will likely abandon all the equipment to leave behind the failure. And the big reason we weren’t caught is we stayed still. But if they leave the Future Foundation will find them. And there’s no way they won’t try to leave this failed game behind. So there won’t be any more killing games hosted by Team Danganronpa. We failed this is it, our killing games are over.”

 

Saihara smiles, “Well then we should be proud. We did it, Team Danganronpa will be over after this.”

 

Ouma looks up, “You said earlier this is a program Shirogane. Doesn’t that mean no one actually died?”

 

Shirogane blinks, “Oh right! Sorry but no we’re dead. If you died in here once the game is over there’s a command to kill your body out there too. Unless someone disables it, once the program ends if you’re dead, ya dead. So once we live everyone who died in here will die out there and we will die with them.”

 

Ouma looks down, “Well that’s sucks.”

 

Shirogane smiles, “Yup. Though I guess I can at least say I did it, I’m now the Ultimate Cosplaycat Criminal. My plan even failed right the end like Enoshima-san’s did.”

 

Harukawa looks around, “Well if we’re done here let’s finish this.”

 

Yumeno smiles, “I’m ready!”

 

Kiibo smiles, “Of course, well I’ll get started then.”

 

Monokuma shouts from the background, “IIIIIT’S PUNISHMENT TIIIIME!”

 

Kiibo shoots up and begins to ping around destroying the academy and everything inside the dome. He then flies up and pushes the self destruct button on himself and flies into the glass dome. Completely destroying it.

 

Ultimate Punishment Complete.

* * *

 

Epilogue Bullet Points, as it’s almost the same thing as Option B’s Epilogue and I’m sorry but I don’t want to rewrite what’s almost the same exact thing twice. Which btw should give you an idea of how much is going to change between Option A and Option B.

* * *

 

  * Much like in canon the three (now four here) survive the academy's destruction
  * Oh but instead of being ambiguous on what's outside they wake up in pods much like is SDR2
  * Waiting for them outside is Naegi, Kirigiri, Tsumiki, and Hinata/Kamukura.
  * Turns out the Future Foundation found Team Danganronpa anyways. And while they were in the killing game was shutting team dr down.
  * But they still had Hinata/Kamukura working on the computer for their virtual world to try and help them all get out.
  * He reveals he was trying to see if he could edit Shirogane to just let them escape, but it didn't work here
  * However, he did shut down the command that kills everyone who died in VR, irl.
  * But it would take a while for some people to wake up.
  * The order is the longer they've been dead and the more intact their body was, the sooner they would wake up.
  * Tsumiki and Hinata/kamukura pull them out of the pods and get to work on trying to help them physically recover for the time being while Naegi and Kirigiri explain what's going to happen next.
  * Basically, Team dr is getting wrecked and the Future Foundation is going to help the survivors of this killing game recover. And if they want they can join the new Hope's Peak and/or can help the Future Foundation push back despair.
  * Mainly due to them having talents now, but also because that means they would know better than not even regular people are safe from getting snatched from despair and the Future Foundation needs to keep an eye on the regular people too.
  * It ends with the four survivors looking at each other before agreeing to talk about the possibility of them doing that.
  * But I will for now make it ambiguous as to whether or not they agree to fight despair and/or go to Hope's peak to like learn how to use their talents, even as fake as they might have started out as.




	2. Option B: Hidden Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu

“Well, this is not good. Could it be you’ve failed at your one job?” Motherkuma taunts.

 

“No! I can still fix this! This isn’t something we can’t recover from,” An unknown figure responds.

 

“We? The only person to blame for this is you,” Motherkuma insults.

 

The figure flinches, “R-right. But I promise I can fix this. There’s no need to end things just yet.”

 

“Oh? What do you plan to do then?” Motherkuma questions.

 

“Uhh, I can make another flashback light? I mean those usually help to manipulate the players,” The figure suggests.

 

Motherkuma lights up, “Ooo, Hey maybe you can use the Hope’s Peak plotline. Yeah yeah! Just make it so everyone believes Ouma-kun is a remnant of despair or something and they’ll kill him. Especially Harukawa-san.”

 

“Bu-but the Hope’s Peak plot line would create plot holes! And we can’t kill him, he’s valuable, wasn’t he!?” The figure stutters.

 

Motherkuma stares them down, “It doesn’t matter, he’s gotten out of control and needs to be put down. Besides who will really notice the contradictions outside of you and Ouma-kun? Easy, no one. So who cares as long as it gets the job done. You know what will happen if you fail, anyway.”

 

The figure gulps, “A-ah of course. I couldn’t forget. Then if that’s what I must do then I will see this through.”

 

The figure leaves as Motherkuma’s laughters echoes throughout the room.

____________________

 

“I’m not killing you, we don’t need more deaths!” Momota yells at Ouma.

 

“This is the only way we can still end the killing game now!” Ouma shouts back.

 

“I’m not doing it! So you might as well drink the antidote yourself so we don’t both die,” Momota argues.

 

“What about Harumaki, hmm!?” Ouma fights.

 

Momota’s eyes widen before glaring with determination, “There won’t be an execution if I kill myself first.”

 

Ouma jumps, “What! What are you talking about!? Has the poison already killed off your remaining brain cells!?”

 

Momota shakes his head, “No, look I didn’t want to, but now that I think about it. You’re doing everything to help us and end this killing game, you’re even willing to give up your life for this despite how we treated you. It’s not fair that you do so much for us when we have done nothing for you, so Kokichi let me do this for you. Besides, I would die from my illness anyway if this game continued, might as well die before that or even Monokuma can kill me.”

 

Ouma stares shakily into Momota’s eyes, “You stupid spaceman,” he sighs, “But I can’t change your mind can I?”

 

Momota gives a sad smile, “Sorry no can do,” Momota pulls the other into a hug, “Don’t worry I’ll be fine. Just do me a favor, end this killing game with the others just like you promised Gonta.”

 

Ouma shakes worse, “I’m sorry myself. I don’t think I can keep that promise.”

 

Momota holds him tighter. After a few seconds, he steps away, “Who would have expected this, us here working together. Thank you for not being stubborn for once though Kokichi,” Both weakly laugh, “I should take care of this before we die from the poison huh?” Momota looks away, “Drink the antidote, I’ll do what I have to. And I’m sorry but I won’t be saying goodbye. I mean if I don’t it’s like I never left then, I’d just be hiding.”

 

With that Momota leaves the room and Ouma reluctantly drinks the antidote as told. After a while Ouma steps out, he sees Momota lying on the hydraulic press. He steps forward and finds there’s no pulse. Realizing why Momota chose there of all places to die. Ouma goes to the control panel and lowers the press. Once it’s lowered, he breaks the cord for it and steps in front. He puts a hand on top of the press, “A cat box, huh. Well, you really weren’t boring Momota-chan.”

 

Ouma turns away and goes to hide in the nearby exisal; not wanting to see to others or risk being killed by them after they discover Momota’s body.

____________________

 

When the trial begins against expectations standing at his podium is none other than Ouma. He’s given up trying to hide or stop anything. His silence rings loud through the courtroom.

 

“S-so it really is Kaito that’s under the press?” Yumeno asks.

 

“Unfortunately, it seems like it,” Amami says.

 

Harukawa glares daggers into Ouma, “I don’t even see why we’re still having this trial. It’s clear who the culprit is.”

 

Ouma doesn’t move to defend himself. So Hoshi does instead, “Now, now, we can’t be so sure about the Harukawa. Trials are never this short, Monokuma can attest to that. So let’s not rush this until we’re sure.”

 

Shinguji chuckles, “He has a point. Besides who knows, we could have missed something. While I think it’s beautiful to see how this death has affected you. That’s not helpful if we want to live.”

 

_ They’re right, besides there’s one obvious thing that’s bothering me. _ Saihara looks to Ouma, “Kic- Ouma-kun how did you get hurt?”

 

Ouma says nothing. Yumeno looks closer, “It looks like something impaled Ko- Ouma.”

 

Kiibo looks closer too, “Himiko is correct, it looks almost as if. . . Oh! I think Ouma-kun was hit by those crossbow bolts we found.”

 

“Then the question is how did those crossbow bolts get there. Because I’m pretty sure neither Kokichi nor Kaito had those with them,” Amami says, several people, flinch at Ouma’s first name.

 

“Those are from Harukawa’s lab, right?” Hoshi asks.

 

“Yes, however not just anyone could use the crossbow as it has to be assembled first and unless you know what you’re doing, there’s no reasonable way you could do that,” Saihara answers.

 

“Well then Harukawa-san, since these came from your lab mind telling us what you know?” Shinguji asks.

 

Harukawa sighs, “Yes those are from my lab. And yes you’d need to have been taught by me how to assemble them. But the only people I taught was Kaito and Shuichi.”

 

“Are the crossbows stored in a black case out of curiosity?” Kiibo asks.

 

Harukawa’s eyebrows furrowed, “Yes. But what does that have to do with anything?”

 

“We-well last night I saw Himiko sneaking to the hangar with a suspicious black case,” Kiibo stutters out.

 

“I didn’t use it! I swear!” Yumeno shouts.

 

“Look kid calm down, we aren’t accusing you. We already know you couldn’t have since Harukawa never taught you how to assemble the crossbow which you would have needed to do if it was still in its case,” Hoshi assures.

 

Yumeno looks down, “O-oh. Then I think I should admit I brought that crossbow for Kaito. But I only brought one bolt for it, so I do not know where the extra bolt came from.”

 

_ Where did the extra bolt come from then? If Himiko doesn’t know then who would? Wait there’s one person here who might actually,  _ “Hey Ouma-kun, do you know where the other bolt came from?”

 

Ouma remains silent. Harukawa isn’t happy, “I don’t see the point in this if he’s just going to continue to waste our time like this.”

 

“Harukawa, continuously giving Kokichi shit isn’t going to change anything. All we can do now is work through what we know and find out what truly happened without letting our bias blind us. Besides it’s clear Kokichi isn’t planning on answering our questions so looks like we will need to think through this ourselves,” Amami says.

 

“Amami-kun is right we need to focus on figuring out the truth. Though where could we begin to figure out where the extra bolt came from?” Kiibo asks.

 

_ If Himiko only brought one bolt for Kaito to use, then we know for a fact someone else would have had to bring the other. The question is did Kaito also use the extra bolt or did someone else? If it was someone else, then the only people could have done this is . . . me and Maki. And I know I didn’t bring another bolt and crossbow to the hangar. Which means,  _ “If we want to figure it out we should look at who could have used the extra bolt. And I can tell you I honestly didn’t go to the hangar last night,” Saihara says.

 

“My my, it appears Harukawa was the one to bring the extra bolt if that’s the case. She’s the only person who’d have a use for it other than Kaito after all. But then I can’t help but wonder why?” Shinguji asks.

 

“Maki? What did you do?” Yumeno asks.

 

Harukawa glares at everyone briefly before giving in, “I’ll admit it. I brought the extra bolt, actually I had brought two. I couldn’t wait till dawn, so I struck early.”

 

“Two extra bolts? Then why could we only find one extra?” Kiibo asks.

 

“Because Ouma was only hit with one bolt, unfortunately. I had poisoned them with strike-9 to get Ouma to admit to being a remnant of despair, but he kept just pretending he knew nothing and I got fed up. But when I had tried to end him Kaito jumped into the way and took the bolt for him. Since I had poisoned the bolts, I ran off to get the antidote. The gate was closed when I got there and I couldn’t get it open again so I went to the bathroom window. But when I gave Kaito the antidote,” She turns to glare at Ouma, “That monster took it and drank it.”

 

Ouma said nothing. Yumeno begins, “Then how did Kaito die? By the poison, being crushed, or something else?”

 

“There’s no way to tell is there? I mean we can’t get the lift back up,” Kiibo notes.

 

Amami shakes his head, “While I can’t say if Kaito died by the poison or some other method, I don’t think he died by being crushed. There’s a specific reason why, you know what it is don’t you Shuichi?”

 

_ A reason Kaito couldn’t have been crushed? That’s right! Me and Kiibo investigated the press when the hangar when it was first opened and learned a vital thing about it. _ Saihara looks up, “The press’s safety feature. That’s what you’re talking about right? With it there’s no way we could crush any living person, me and Kiibo tested it a while back.”

 

“It could crush me though, somehow even the press is robophobic,” Kiibo pouts.

 

“So it could be Maki or Ouma?” Yumeno asks.

 

“There’s one other option, though not a happy one. It’s possible to prevent Harukawa or Ouma being the blackened he committed suicide. He wasn’t someone who wanted anyone else to die, so it’s possible he would have done it to keep as many people alive as he could,” Hoshi refuted.

 

“I seem to recall he was very against the act of suicide though?” Shinguji notes.

 

“True, he spoke against it. But in that situation he may have realized it’s the one option with the highest survival rate,” Hoshi countered.

 

Shinguji hums, “I see. Well then, yes I suppose it’s possible Kaito killed himself to protect as many people as he could.”

 

“This is all situational, you can’t prove he would have done something like that,” Harukawa argues.

 

“All of this is situational. We all just have what we know and what we’re told. There’s no way for knowing what happened here unless those there tell us. And even then we don’t know if what they said is the truth,” Amami cuts in.

 

Saihara brings his hand to his chin again.  _ So that’s it then, a stalemate. There’s no way of knowing who killed Kaito first. I doubt even Monokuma can tell if the Monopod has anything to say about it.  _ His musing is cut off by none other than Ouma, who’s now speaking for the first time, “All you need is a confession, right? Then Monokuma will end this stupid trial?”

 

Monokuma laughs, “Yup yup! If someone confessed and everyone agrees then voting can begin. But everyone needs to agree that the confession is true and to vote.”

 

Ouma now looks up, “Then I confess to the murder of Kaito Momota.”

 

Chaos breaks out in the trial room. People yelling in anger, some in confusion, and a few in disagreement.

 

It’s Saihara’s voice that interrupts the chaos, “If that’s true, then how did you do it? How did you kill Kaito?”

 

Ouma looks briefly surprised, but his mask is back up in an instant, “I crush him. I just used an electrobomb to disable the safety feature on the press.”

 

“Can you prove it,” Saihara counters.

 

“No. No, I can’t, you’re just going to have to take my word for it,” Ouma responds. He gives Saihara a small smile, “I’ll be fine Saihara-chan~. I’ve caused enough trouble, anyway.”

 

“What if we’re wrong and you’re just lying again? Monokuma would kill us all,” Saihara retorts.

 

“I doubt even Monokuma knows who the real killer is. So you’re just going to have to trust me on this,” Ouma responds.

 

“Monokuma can you can you confirm whether or not you know who the killer is?” Amami asks.

 

Monokuma grumbles under his breath, likely contemplating lying. But begrudgingly admits, “I don’t know who the killer is. So whoever you guys say who did it within reason I can only agree did it.”

 

“How can Monokuma not even know who the killer is?” Kiibo asks.

 

Ouma cuts him off, “It doesn’t matter. What matters is I’m the killer. So let’s get this over with.”

 

There are several protests from people in the room, but Monokuma cuts them off announcing that it’s voting time them. Though it’s clear several people didn’t vote for Ouma, the majority did. Monokuma smiles, “Well I guess we’re talking Ouma-kun’s word on this. Kokichi Ouma is found guilty as Kaito Momota’s killer.”

 

Choruses of why and begging for an explanation comes the people around the room. Exceptions being Harukawa who glares, Hoshi and Shinguji who both just look thoughtful, and Saihara who looks almost despondent. Ouma answers no one instead he looks off the side awaiting Monokuma’s cry of it being execution time, which for his sake thankfully comes quickly.

____________________

 

GAME OVER

Kokichi Ouma has been found Guilty.

TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!

 

Coup D’Etat

____________________

 

A chain falls from the ceiling at and the end there’s a cuff, it closes around Ouma’s neck. He smiles as his skin pales, bringing his hand up to grab at the cuff as it drags him up. Then it drops him at the end of a circular table, around the table stand Monokumas dressed as the 10 members of DICE. A cape and hat are draped on Ouma. An announcement that the coup has broken in blares. Chain comes out of the wall and forces Ouma to gesture for the false DICE members to leave. The Monokumas scatter as more Monokumas wearing tricolor cockades burst into the room. They jump the table and tackle Ouma. Then they handcuffed him and drag him through the castle-like structure. Outside the windows Monokumas dressed in DICE’s white uniform fight Monokumas with cockades. They drag Ouma onto a platform overlooking the battle.

 

A monitor behind him lights up and focuses on him and he’s dragged front and center. He’s forced onto his knees in front of the battle. The monitor glitches. Monokumas pull him closer to the edge of the platform. The monitor lights up again this time with a green hue and a familiar face. A Monokuma dressed in blue with a cockade levels a pistol to Ouma’s head. Ouma stares blankly at the battle continuing to rage in front of him. But as the Monokuma in blue pulls the trigger a trapdoor opens under Ouma and he falls through. The bullet hits a Monokuma in the crowd. The trapdoor closes. The figure on the monitor smiles and waves before disappearing again.

 

In a dark tunnel, Ouma is falling. He looks down as tunnel gets lighter. His eyes widen before looks back up closing them. He takes a deep breath. He drops into the water waiting for him below. Once he’s slowed down, the water drains. He sits up as he sinks onto a platform. Releasing his breath and taking several more once the water leaves his face. A monitor nearby lights up green with the same figure from before.

 

“Hello again Kokichi-kun!” They cheer.

 

Ouma looks up at the monitor and smiles, “Just in time Gonta.”

 

In the trial room everyone stares at the spot Ouma had dropped through.

____________________

 

Execution Failed

>:(

____________________

 

“You aren’t badly hurt are you Kokichi-kun?” Alter Ego Gokuhara asks.

 

Ouma responds as he shifts his still cuffed hands in front of him, “I’ve been better. But that doesn’t matter, we need to go before the mastermind decides to finish what that execution started.”

 

A.E. Gokuhara nods, “Well if that’s the case you might want to grab the bug-vac and head over to your lab.”

 

Ouma quirks his eyebrow and looks to A.E. Gokuhara, pausing in his lock picking effort on the handcuffs, “You know where my lab is?”

 

He nods again, “Yes! It under the floor in the entrance hall of the academy.”

 

Ouma continues to free himself, “Do you know how to get in then?”

 

A.E. Gokuhara explains, “Yes, you just need to lift the floor panel in front of the monitor there.”

 

The handcuffs come off and Ouma stands up, “All right, then it’s time to move.”

 

A.E. Gokuhara says, “I’ll meet you there!”

 

The two boys part ways, the monitor turning off for Gokuhara and Ouma running through the tunnel heading to collect what he needs to hide out.

____________________

 

With the others trapped in the trial room with a fuming Monokuma, Ouma slips into hiding easily. Even having a chance to dry off and change quickly before needing to keep moving. With objects in hand, Ouma searches for the loose floor panel. Once found he lifts it and drops down. Moving the panel back in place; he heads down the stairs and follows the tunnel to his ultimate lab. He opens it with ease and puts down the items he grabbed. On one of the bigger monitors, A.E. Gokuhara appears, “You made it Kokichi-kun!” Ouma gives him a tired smile. A.E. Gokuhara continues, “Well now that you’re here we can figure out what to do.”

 

Ouma sits in the chair in front of the monitors. He turns the rest on, they show a live video of what’s going on around the academy and in the dome, “Well we mainly need to catch the mastermind. It can be any one of the remaining survivors. So we need to find any slip-ups the mastermind might have made and will make after we’ve thrown everything so off course.”

 

“All right! We should see if these cameras record anything so we can review the footage. We can check to see if the mastermind made any slips ups when no one was looking in the past,” A.E. Gokuhara offers.

 

Ouma nods and the two of them get to work.

____________________

 

Monokuma eventually releases the rest of the survivors. Most of them retreat to their bedrooms unable to fully process what has happened. Harukawa goes to her lab to blow off steam, Amami goes to his lab to research, and one other figure sneaks off to who knows where.

 

Unfortunately for that other figure, there are two people keeping a close eye on what’s going on in the academy. They can’t tell who it is, but they know who it’s not. The two watching’s suspect list has been cut down by four now.

____________________

 

(A/N I couldn’t think of what to do with the investigation portion for now. And nor am I interested in figuring out right this second as it won’t be needed for the final trial. As the final trial really doesn’t get a chance to be evidence-based. I will say the moment up to the trial being called had Ouma and A.E. Gokuhara figuring out who the mastermind is by watching the cameras. And them going out and calling a trial to pin the mastermind down once and for all. They call a trial and Monokuma gives the others a chance to do their own investigation. Also, A.E. Gokuhara is going have to stick to monitors, though I was tempted to give him a laptop, I decided against that. Though as this is all just one big rough draft for a couple ideas I had, so nothing is actually set in stone. But before the trial has a quick moment with the mastermind and Motherkuma. As they need to realize they aren’t being watched anymore in order for them to be convinced to help the other participants for real. Basically, this helps officially start the mastermind’s redemption arc.)

____________________

 

“He survived his execution. And the Alter Ego got into our systems. Is that what I’m hearing happened?” Motherkuma looks down at the figure.

 

The figure looks down, “I’m sorry, but yes.”

 

“You know what this means right?” Motherkuma asks. The figure’s eyes widen, but they dare not argue. Afraid it will only make things worse. But Motherkuma continues, “Looks like there will be one final trial, no murder, just a reveal.”

 

The figure glances questioningly at Motherkuma.  _ That’s not what that’s supposed to mean. I failed my job. They should take over the system and rightfully punishing me for failure. They should try to salvage this game with my death! That’s what they did to others. So why aren’t they now? Unless I’ve disappointed them so much they can’t even bring themselves to punish me themselves. Instead, now letting the participants punish me. It’s probably to embarrass me, to use me as an example so that the other masterminds don’t mess up as badly as me. Though is that really it? Are they even here anymore? _ The figure shakes away the thoughts and though confused, stutter out, “Of- of course, whatever you say. You know best, Team Danganronpa will preserve.”

 

Motherkuma doesn’t laugh like expected. The figure can’t help but wonder just what’s going on with Monokuma. Though they take the silence as a dismissal and leave.

 

In their false bedroom, their thoughts wander. And ever so slightly it feels like something in them has cracked. Or as if strings once long standing have begun to fray.

____________________

The eight survivors stand in the trial room. Monokuma sits on his throne while A.E. Gokuhara is on the monitor. Several of the survivors glance at each other awkwardly. Others look to Ouma questioningly. Monokuma is the one who speaks, however, “Ouma-kun, why have you’ve called this trial?”

 

Ouma is blank as he explains, “Easy. This trial is to reveal the mastermind. And I understand why you guys don’t trust me, so I’ll prove to you that I’m not the mastermind nor am I lying about who the mastermind is. To prove I’m not lying I will prove everyone else’s innocence.”

 

“That’s why Monokuma had us investigate before this trial then. I guess we’ll compile our evidence together to find the truth,” Amami responds.

 

“How are we going to start this then without a murder to solve?” Hoshi asks.

 

“I believe Ouma-kun should start this conversation, he wants us to believe his words. So he should begin with his own defense,” Shinguji answers.

 

Ouma nods, “I can do that. To begin, I’ll explain last trial’s situation. For the events leading up to it, I will say I was lying when I had said I was the mastermind. I was trying to get you all to fall into despair so you’d give up the killing game. But it seems the real mastermind had stepped in and forced your hands. I don’t know what it showed you since I wasn’t there, but I can promise you it was a lie.”

 

“Kokichi wouldn’t know what was on the flashback light would he?” Saihara asks.

 

Ouma shakes his head. Though Harukawa takes it upon herself to fill Ouma in, “It showed you as a Remnant of Despair. One of Junko Enoshima’s most devoted followers.”

 

Ouma holds up his hands, “Wait, wait, wait, Remnant of Despair? Junko Enoshima? I don’t know what any of that means.”

 

She glares, frustrated likely by his lack of knowledge. But before she can comment Amami explains, “Junko Enoshima had caused The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History. Which basically means she threw the world into chaos and despair. Then she had locked her classmates, the seventy-eighth class of Hope’s Peak Academy-”

 

Ouma cut him off, “Hope’s Peak Academy? Wait there was a book in my lab called the complete history of Hope’s Peak Academy. I thought nothing of it at the time, but I see how it could be very important,” Ouma then pulls said book out, “Which is why I’m glad I grabbed the one out-of-place thing in my lab. Though I think you guys can tell better if there’s really anything important about it.”

 

Ouma hands the book over to Amami and he glosses through the book. A frown on his face deepening as he skims further and further into the book. The others grow more concerned at his expressions. Eventually, he looks up, “It seems our memories aren’t as right as we think. This book contradicts several of our memories.”

 

“H-how does it contradict?” Yumeno asks.

 

“For one I remember Enoshima being to the sole person behind the Tragedy, but according to this book it was a group known as the Ultimate Despair, which was lead by Enoshima. Another thing is during the seventy-eighth class’s killing game I remember her locking her classmates in the school. Yet the book says the students locked themselves inside to protect themselves from the Tragedy. And the last major contradiction is we probably remember having applied for Hope’s Peak. Except Hope’s Peak doesn’t accept applicants, they always scout their students. And it goes on! But that’s just the contradictions with our memories from the flashback light. I know another thing that contradicts, however,” Amami answers.

 

“But wait, that doesn’t answer what Remnants of Despair are,” Ouma interrupts.

 

“They’re the Enoshima’s followers who remained after her death at the end of the seventy-eighth class’s killing game. They carried on her legacy causing chaos and spreading despair. According to this book, a group known as the Future Foundation had stopped most of the Remnants. And are trying to repair the damage they had left,” Amami again answers.

 

“But that makes little sense! We saw the world outside of here is destroyed. How could this group be fixing things?” Kiibo asks.

 

“Perhaps the book hasn’t been updated and the Future Foundation failed,” Shinguji tries to answers.

 

“It doesn’t matter, Ouma still needs to say what happened,” Harukawa interrupts.

 

Ouma nods, “She’s right I still need to explain things. Well, I guess I should first debunk the whole me being a Remnant of Despair,” Ouma pulls out a tablet hosting his motive video, “This video will show you my innocence.”

 

_ Kokichi presses play and Monokuma’s voice rings out, “Back by popular demand, it’s a motive video! Let’s check out who this ultimate’s ‘most important loved ones’ are! Ahh, The ‘Ultimate Supreme Leader,’ Kokichi Ouma. He is the Supreme Leader of a super-secret organization called ‘DICE,’ they cause merry mayhem worldwide. But always follow their two main mottos, ‘One, never kill’ and ‘Two, commit fun and light-hearted crimes.’ This merry band of jokers holds ten loyal followers. These ten work with Ouma-kun, forming an overall group of eleven. To Ouma-kun, these ten are friends, or hell even family. They’re his everything. They are his ‘most important loved ones.’ But . . . Oh dear, would you look at that! It seems they’ve met an un-bear-able fate, but sorry! The fate they met is a secret. You’re going to have to win the game if you want to find out what happened to them. Puhuhuhuhuhu.” _

 

“Huh, guess that answers what you had on your motive video this entire time,” Hoshi says.

 

Ouma nods, “Yup! The inner circle of DICE are the most important people to me. But it doesn’t matter now, what matter is our main motto and our organization’s size.”

 

“You have a motto of don’t kill and your organization is only eleven members big, including you. That’s what you’re trying to say is important right now, right Kokichi?” Kiibo asks.

 

While Ouma nods again, Saihara speaks up, “His organization isn’t big enough to take over the Gopher Project and cause this killing game. And with their mottos, there’s no way they would approve of anything having to deal with Enoshima-san. He’s right. . . he isn’t Remnant of Despair. The flashback lights lied to us.”

 

“Though we can’t forget he still could be the mastermind, even if he isn’t a remnant,” Hoshi interjects.

 

“That seems unreasonable based on his motive video-” Kiibo starts to argue.

 

But Ouma cuts him off, “No, Hoshi’s right. You should doubt me until I’ve finished my explanations. Trust without doubt isn’t really trust in the first place, it’s just a lie. And this trial needs the truth,” With everyone’s attention he explains, “So I know with how I’ve controlled the Exisals it seems even more like I’m the mastermind. However that’s not the case, the reason I could control the Exisals was because Miu not only made the Electrohammers and bombs, she also made several other things. One of them being a remote that controls any electronic device that has sensors she made to go with it attached. I put the sensors on the Exsials and used the remote to control them is all. And no I can’t really prove Miu made them outside of showing you the schematics for the remote. But I’m really not lying this time.”

 

“That doesn’t explain what happened in there after I left,” Harukawa fights.

 

Ouma looks over to her, “You’re right. And I’m going to say now I can’t prove what happened in there. We only have my word, so you’re probably not going to believe me when I say Hoshi’s theory for what happened was correct. Kaito had either let himself die by the poison or did something himself to die. I don’t know, I wasn’t in the room. But I really didn’t kill him.”

 

Harukawa hand grips the stand in front of her as she glares him down, “Then why did you admit to it and crush his body?”

 

Ouma gives her a solemn smile, “I was ready to die when I set up that plan. I was still ready to die by the end. I couldn’t risk Monokuma trying to execute everyone because I couldn’t convince Kaito to not be a hero for once. And I failed, every plan up to that point to end this killing game had failed. I figured it was for the best if I just died then. But then Gonta saved me and I couldn’t let his work go to waste, so I’m still trying to end this game. As for crushing Kaito’s body, originally I did it because I thought he wanted to make a cat box. Whereas long as it was shut, he could be alive or dead. Though now that I think about it, he probably was just trying to hide his cause of death just in case Monokuma tried to rule that he died from poison so that you wouldn’t be executed.”

 

“I still find it hard to believe you were really trying to end the killing game,” Harukawa states.

 

Ouma only gives a weak chuckle, “You’re not the only one. Even I find it hard to believe sometimes.”

 

Harukawa glares for a long while, before seemingly finding what she was looking for and her glare softens, but only by a little. Then she still asks, “Then what about what happened with Gonta and the Bug Meet and Greet?”

 

Ouma starts another explanation, “The Bug Meet and Greet was exactly what it seemed like, I wanted everyone to watch their motive videos together. If we all saw the videos, then we’d see how people react and know who was most likely to become the blackened and who was at greatest risk of becoming the victim. I wanted to prevent the murder before it happened and as we can all tell that didn’t work. As for Miu’s and Gonta’s deaths, well, it wasn’t apart of my original plans. Miu, she, she had to be stopped. Once she had decided to kill someone it was too late. The most that could be done is damage control, I had to limit the number of deaths. And Gonta had learned about her plans to murder me and wanted to help stop her.”

 

A.E. Gokuhara speaks up from the monitor, “Gonta really did know what he was getting into. Ouma-kun really didn’t manipulate him like you think. Iruma-san would kill Ouma-kun or if not him then someone else. There really wasn’t any other option.”

 

“But why not admit to the murder to begin with then? Wouldn’t there be the risk of everyone else dying with you?” Shinguji asks.

 

“We weren’t going to let everyone die. We were hoping it wouldn’t matter who dealt the final blow, but unfortunately, it matters. Why do you think we gave it away in the end?” Ouma answers.

 

“Ouma-kun did reveal the blackened after Monokuma said he would execute only the killer, not the accomplices,” Kiibo adds.

 

“We only really have his word to go on. But it makes sense,” Hoshi says.

 

Yumeno jumps up, “So we can trust him!”

 

“Are we in agreement to trust Ouma-kun?” Shinguji asks.

 

Leading everyone to look over at Harukawa, who sighs, “I don’t trust him, but I don’t think he’s lying for once.”

 

Amami nods, “Okay, then Kokichi you said after proving your innocence you would prove everyone else’s other than the masterminds.”

 

Ouma nods, “Right. Well, I guess we can start with proving your innocence Amami-chan. There was something in your room Monokuma wouldn’t let me see. But I’m guessing you could check it out.”

 

Amami pauses before pulling out a monopad, “Well I had two things actually, Survivor Perks. The first one was this monopad. It has a complete map of the academy and a note supposedly from myself in the past. And in my lab a video of from myself in the past that gave me the note. The note just told me the mastermind is hiding in the academy, more specifically the library’s hidden room, and the best chance to catch them is when they go to make a spare Monokuma. Then predicting the first thing I’ll remember is the Ultimate Hunt to prove the note’s legitimacy. The note ends with saying to only share this with people I can trust because that will mean the difference between life and death for me.”

 

“What about the video?” Kiibo asks.

 

“The video had mentioned our loss of memories, and that I had participated in a killing game before this one. Though that conflicts with our memories as I’m not in the two previous killing games we know about. And the video said because of my participation I’m now the Ultimate Survivor, hence the survivor perks. One thing stuck out though, there’s apparently something important about the two survivor rule to end the killing game. But I couldn’t really talk about it in the video,” Amami answers.

 

“Something important? What could be so important about it?” Ouma mumbles. He pauses for a while, contemplating. Then his eyes widen, “I get it now! You can try to end the game early, but only two people can win. They put anyone else into the next game. That must be why Amami is going through another killing game, his last one had over two survivors. Which means if we want to end this game by normal means then six of us are going to have to go through another killing game.”

 

The room falls into complete silence as they try to process the thought. Expressions around the room fall as it registers. But then Harukawa speaks up, “Then we don’t end it by normal means. If doing that requires us to sacrifice six others, then let’s end it differently.”

 

“If you can come up with a way for us to do that, then it could work,” Hoshi adds in agreement.

 

Shinguji nods in approval, “Indeed. Though it begs the question of how. Perhaps we could just force the mastermind to let us leave.”

 

Saihara asks, “Bu- but what if they won’t or can’t?”

 

“There’s no reason they can’t Shuichi and I’ll just use my magic to curse them until they let us out!” Yumeno argues.

 

Saihara fights back, “We don’t know that! Remember the mastermind has to have a group behind them to have taken over the Gopher project. Who’s to say what that group would do if the mastermind betrayed them by letting us out. They may not want to risk it. Or that group could be in charge of the controls so only the outside group helping the mastermind could let us out. We need to think this through!”

 

Amami shakes his head, “We still have to determine everyone else’s innocence before we even think about ending this game. After all, we’re making vague threats without even know who we’re actually threatening. Now being I was in a previous killing game that must have ended well, I wasn’t the mastermind then and I wouldn’t want to be the mastermind now. So I think it’s safe to say I’m innocent. We need to move on to the next person.”

 

“We can clear Harukawa from suspicion next. She may be a murderer, but she’s not the mastermind. Her innocence comes from the fact she never went near the hidden room at any point, nor did she disappear from sight for any sort of extended period of time. Only places she stayed for long is in her lab and in her room. And none of our rooms lead to the hidden room, and I checked her lab, there’s no hidden passages in there. She’s clean,” Ouma defends.

 

“I only killed if I was hired to,” Harukawa argues, “But I won’t argue against his words of me not being the mastermind.”

 

“I want to prove my innocence next!” Yumeno jumps up.

 

A.E. Gokuhara jumps up on the screen, “Oh I can help with that!”

 

Ouma smiles up at him and nods, “Take the stage Gonta, you know what to do.”

 

A.E. Gokuhara nods back and looks to everyone else, “Despite her death and subsequent resurrection looking rather suspicious, Yumeno is innocent. She was nowhere to be found in the academy after her death. And as Shinguji-kun can confirm she appeared in place of her statue and not appearing from some sort of trapdoor. She really died and was resurrected.”

 

Shinguji confirms, “There was nothing to hide her reappearance, and I watched as she shifted from statue to real. While I didn’t fully believe in resurrection. It appears it is legitimate as Yumeno-san is back in the living world.”

 

“We have Ouma, Gokuhara, Amami, Harukawa, and Yumeno cleared. Leaving me, Shinguji, Saihara, and Kiibo,” Hoshi summarizes.

 

“Okay, lets next check Shinguji as he’s the most suspicious with having survived despite having killed Chabashira,” Ouma proposes.

 

“That sounds good with me,” Hoshi agrees.

 

“I can admit, I do look suspicious, however, I promise I’m not the mastermind,” Shinguji affirms.

 

Ouma explains, “While seeming suspicious and creepy as all hell, Shinguji-chan isn’t hosting this killing game. He’s often too busy in his lab or people watching to be running this game. And despite the murder of Chabashira and his obsession with anthropology, being a liar myself, I can tell he's against these murders. So I doubt he would host a killing game even if he had the time to. So Shinguji, just the like those who we’ve already gone over, is innocent. Next, let’s go over Hoshi-chan’s innocence.”

 

“I know I’m not the mastermind. But I can wait to prove it,” Kiibo remarks.

 

“Hoshi’s innocence is quick to prove thankfully, so you won’t have to wait long Kiibo. Hoshi, as we know, up until recently didn’t really have much of a reason to live. Ready to die as much as I was. And though he has also killed before, he’s shown a lot of remorse for it. He’s genuine in this and thus also isn’t the one hosting this killing game,” Ouma defends.

 

“It’s nice to be defended, but one problem. You said you won’t defend the mastermind and there’s only Kiibo and Saihara left. And you implied you’re going to defend Kiibo next,” Hoshi starts.

 

Ouma looks away and sighs, “Yeah. I did, didn’t I? Well, I guess I can show the real main proof of everyone’s but the mastermind’s innocence. In my lab, there are monitors connected to cameras around the academy. It records all the footage seen, which means it caught the mastermind on camera. That’s how I really knew who was innocent. Gonta and I went through all the footage and Kiibo was off doing something else while the mastermind was going into the hidden room. Everyone I talked about actually was doing something else at that time. The only person who wasn’t and was caught on camera,” Ouma pauses and then looks to Saihara, giving him a tight smile, “is Saihara-chan. It seems our detective was actually the mastermind behind this killing game.”

 

The other students look to Saihara in confusion or hatred, arguing over this. Saihara looks up and returns Ouma’s tight smile, “You’ve caught me. I should have expected that. Well, I guess I did, but my efforts to stop you didn’t work so here we are.”

 

“Shu- Shuichi?” Yumeno shakily asks.

 

Saihara gives everyone a big grin, “Sorry I lied! Looks like me and Ouma-kun switched roles in the end! The honest detective became the lying mastermind and the lying pest became the honest leader. You know honestly, Ouma could have lead this entire show if he wasn’t so insistent on playing from the background. You all would have followed him, he is the Ultimate Supreme Leader after all. It would have been such a beautiful sight! But I suppose I can enjoy the despair on your faces instead. Gosh, I can only imagine how it must feel to know the person you trusted and followed the most was the one who was screwing you over the most! And even worse still is the person you thought was screwing you the most was actually helping you the most! I bet no one saw this plot twist incoming!”

 

“You’re sicking,” Harukawa insults.

 

Saihara puts on a cutesy pout, “Sawwry but you only have yourself to blame for falling for this.”

 

“It’s not a logical conclusion to come to, so I don’t know why you expected that we would!” Kiibo argues.

 

Saihara points at him, “On contrary my robotic friend, this is exactly as you should expect! The most trustworthy person being the least innocent and the least trustworthy being the most innocent is as cliche as you can get! It should have been obvious!”

 

“Almost too obvious,” Shinguji glares.

 

Saihara slightly deflates, “Whaaaat. Do you think I’m lying about being the mastermind!?”

 

“Oh no, you’re the mastermind all right. You’re just not the only one or hell even the true one to have put us in this killing game,” Ouma disagrees.

 

“What are you talking about Ouma? You just said Saihara’s the mastermind,” Hoshi questions.

 

Ouma nods, “I concede I called Saihara the mastermind. But remember, when defending everyone else, I said they wouldn’t host a killing game and thus aren’t the mastermind. I never described the mastermind as someone who put us in here. And that’s because though the mastermind is hosting this killing game, someone else put us in her. Or well most like multiple someones. This group put the mastermind in charge of the game to make sure it stayed on course and lasted as long as possible. But the mastermind didn’t put us in here. Though they are guilty of keeping us trapped in here.”

 

“A group of people is behind this? Hmm, it would make sense with how much needed to be done to pull this off. It’s hard to believe only one person did it when you think about it,” Amami says in agreement.

 

Saihara’s mask cracks slightly, but he quickly covers it up, “How can you be so sure about that!? I could do this all on my own you know! Clearly, it isn’t hard for me to look trustworthy!”

 

“Because I checked the hidden room! There’s another entrance other than the door in the library to get in. And that entrance doesn’t need a keycard. I found Motherkuma inside, but you know what else I found? Someone else other than whoever was supposed to be controlling Motherkuma is controlling Motherkuma. They said they were with the Future Foundation and they just finished off the last of Team Danganronpa, otherwise known as the group who put us in here. Apparently, they can’t get us off here from the outside without putting us at risk. The most they could do was disable the code to kill the bodies of those who died in here upon exit and take over Motherkuma. But it still something as they could communicate to the rest of us inside here and with control of Motherkuma, they could control Monokuma,” Ouma argues.

 

“What do you mean ‘inside here’ and are the others still alive!?” Yumeno asks.

 

Ouma nods, “According to the person in charge of Motherkuma and what I’ve seen from this place, we’re actually inside of a virtual reality simulation, similar to what Miu had found on the computer upstairs, only more complex obviously. It’s why we’ve seen so many impossible things like Kiibo’s lab, or Monokuma popping out of nowhere, or a stone statue moving so we could get down to the trial room. It’s why they’re able to mess with our minds and hold us captive so easily. It’s not real, it never was.”

 

Saihara laughs from his side of the trial room. His eyes almost swirling, “Team Danganronpa isn’t gone! They’re always here! They’re eternal! They just lied to you so you’d host this stupid trial and get me killed for failing! That’s all this even is! A planned and drawn out execution to make a point out of me!” His laughter grows louder and more hysterical, “I should have known they were lying when they said they weren’t going to do anything to punish me! Ahahaha, they care too much! I’m still worthy of their effort to punish!” Drool slides down from the corner of his mouth.

 

The other students recoil in disgust at Saihara’s only slightly coherent ramblings, even A.E. Gokuhara looking uncomfortable. The only person not outwardly reacting in disgust is Ouma, instead, he looks at Saihara as if he pities the other boy. Ouma shakes his head, “Sorry Saihara-chan, but Team Danganronpa is no more. They don’t care about you, they never did. They were just manipulating you to host this killing game.”

 

Saihara vehemently shakes his head, “No! You’re wrong! Team Danganronpa does care! And they can’t be defeated! Danganronpa is eternal! Despair is eternal!”

 

Monokuma speaks up from his seat, deadpan for the first time in all of the killing game, “Team Danganronpa has been decommissioned. The Future Foundation ensured that, sorry for taking so long though. We never thought there were more Remnants of Despair or that they would go after regular people and try to make more Ultimate Despairs. We were wrong, we shouldn’t have made assumptions.”

 

Saihara stares at Monokuma, mouth gaped. He opens and closes it trying to find his words. His voice comes out weak, like in the beginning of the killing game, “You- I- Who are you?”

 

Monokuma looks down at him, “I’m Hajime Hinata, also once known as Izuru Kamukura, former Remnant of Despair, current Ultimate Hope working for the Future Foundation behind the world’s back. As most of the world still thinks the seventy-seventh class is in Despair. And I’m here to help.”

 

Saihara looks lost, “But how. . .? Team Danganronpa can’t be. . . They couldn’t. . . How?”

 

“How do we know you aren’t someone from Team Danganronpa and that this isn’t all an act?” Hoshi questions.

 

“I can’t really prove it to you as you’d think I’m lying. But I promise I really am with the Future Foundation and that you are safe now. Well, as safe as you can be, trapped with a mastermind in a killing game,” Hinata answers.

 

“You’re pretty useless if you can’t get us out of here from out there,” Harukawa insults.

 

Monokuma chuckles awkwardly, “Yeah, I really do wish we can do more. But I checked and there’s too high of a risk of you guys getting hurt if we try to take you out from out here. If the simulation is forcefully stopped from out here you risk killing everyone who died in there and scrambling the brains of everyone still alive as the body can’t handle the shift from simulation to reality on its own. The simulation when stopped properly from inside, on the other hand, runs a program to help your minds adjust to the change. So you guys need to get out of there on your own I’m afraid.”

 

“I guess it makes sense, but how are we supposed to get out?” Amami asks.

 

Monokuma looks away, “About that. I don’t know. Only the mastermind and Team Danganronpa knows and Team Danganronpa wouldn’t tell. So you have to get the mastermind to let you out.”

 

The students look over to Saihara who’s been clutching his head and mumbling to himself this entire time. He seems to notice everyone watching him though and freaks out, “I won’t fail them! I already did it before! I can salvage this! I will make sure Team Danganronpa never dies! You can’t get out without me and I won’t let you out!”

 

“Why are you trying to protect them so much?” Yumeno questions him, her voice cracking.

 

Saihara is stunned, “What do you mean?”

 

“She means why are you so insistent to care about people who only abuse and manipulate you,” Ouma clarifies.

 

Saihara shakes his head, “No. No, you’re lying! Team Danganronpa saved me! They wouldn’t hurt me!”

 

“Spoken like a true abuse survivor,” Ouma fires back.

 

Saihara clutches his head as he shouts, “STOP LYING!”

 

“I thought you said I was being truthful in the end and you were the liar?” Ouma calmly argues back.

 

Saihara shakes where he’s standing, “I was- That’s not what- JUST STOP IT!”

 

“Face it Saihara! Team Danganronpa doesn’t care about you! They were just using you!” Ouma raises his voice.

 

Saihara glares at Ouma, “Team Danganronpa found me almost dead in an alley and took me and gave me a purpose in all this chaos! They  **saved** me! They  **helped** me! They aren’t using me, they’re protecting me! I wanted to spread Despair! I wanted to host this killing game! I wanted to honor Junko Enoshima!”

 

Ouma is unimpressed, “You really shouldn’t lie to yourself like that.”

 

Saihara’s glare intensifies, “Hypocrite. And I’m not lying!”

 

“Yes, you are! I don’t think you have a single shred in your body that genuinely cares for despair! Even when you thought  no one was looking you couldn’t bring yourself to be happy about all this ‘despair.’ You cried real tears during the executions! Flinched during the murders! You don’t actually want this and you know it!” Ouma fights back.

 

Saihara stumbles, but still tries to argue, “You don’t know what I want!”

 

“I know more than you do!” Ouma bites back at him. Ouma closes his eyes and sighs. Opening them and looking back to Saihara before saying, “You can try to fight me, but remember, I’m the Ultimate Supreme Leader here. Do know what that entails?”

 

Saihara shakes his head, “It doesn’t matter, your talents are fake and you know it!”

 

Ouma shakes his head, “Yes our talents are artificial, but even artificial they still work properly. And you didn’t answer my question. Thing is about my talent, as artificial as it is, it gives me a lot of awareness in how people feel. There’s more to it than that, but emotional intelligence is the important part here. And your emotions betray you, Saihara-chan. You know I’m not lying.”

 

Saihara shakes his head, “You- I-”

 

Ouma gives Saihara a sad smile, “Remember what Hinata said not too long ago. Team Danganronpa is gone, they can’t do anything anymore,” Ouma pauses, “Saihara you know what they were doing to you. They probably threatened you and held saving your life over your head. Or maybe they even lied about saving you. They were manipulating you. And they hurt you and when you didn’t listen and obey. You don’t have to listen to them anymore though.”

 

Saihara almost breaks, but he tries to fight one last time. Shaking his head he says, “They didn’t make me host this killing game. I choose to be the mastermind to please them. To make Team Danganronpa happy. I had a choice to wait and let someone else be the mastermind, but I didn’t.”

 

“You did it because they manipulated you into thinking it would get them to care and be proud of you. You can stop now,” Ouma reasons.

 

And Saihara breaks, tears flow freely down his face, “You-” He takes a deep breath, “You’re. . . right,” He sighs and looks away, “I’ll let you go.”

 

“We can go home!” Yumeno cheers.

 

At her cheer, the others begin to brighten up. Though Amami stops to ask, “How do we get out?”

 

Saihara wipes his face with his sleeve and looks at everyone, “We just have to break the dome surrounding this place and walk out, once everyone still alive in the simulation leave the play area, meaning the academy for us, the simulation turns off. I can get you guys a way to break the wall, but we’re going to have to hold a vote first.”

 

“Why would we need to do that?” Kiibo asks in suspicion.

 

Saihara gives the other a big, sad smile, “I lost, game over! The killing game will always end in an execution and I can use mine to break the dome and you guys can leave,” He doesn’t give them a chance to argue as he says, “Well as Monokuma always says,” Saihara’s smile turns wide and fake, voice cracking, “Iiiiit’s Voting Tiiiime!!”

 

The screens pop up in front of the students, some reluctant and others picking without that same hesitation. Ouma falling into the former category and Saihara in the latter. Eventually, the time runs out and the board appears showing everyone having voted for Saihara. He smiles seeing the screen. Then walks up to Monokuma’s stand, Monokuma moving so Saihara can take his place on the throne. “Shuichi Saihara has been found guilty of masterminding the killing game. It’s time for his execution. Let’s give it everything we’ve got,” The screen and red button appear in front of him. He holds his hand over it, “Iiiiit’s Punishment Time!” He presses the button down as he says that.

____________________

 

GAME OVER

Shuichi Saihara has been found Guilty.

TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!

 

Goodbye Danganronpa

____________________

 

The trial room’s ceiling opens up and all the students are rocketed up. A chain wraps around Saihara and drags away to the dome. The trial stands holding the other students draw them closer to watch. Monokuma bounces up, exisals falling in line behind him.

 

An army of Monokuma appears on the ground. The remaining student watch from above and they march over the wear Saihara is chained up. He smiles grimly at them. The Monokuma in front points towards Saihara and the armies of Monokumas charge forward, jumping at the dome’s wall by Saihara. Exploding on impact. Shrapnel and rubble piercing and hitting Saihara.

 

Then the army runs out and the Monokuma point frowns. Saihara peers through the blood at the Monokuma and exisals before he glances to the sides, seeing the damage done to the wall. Aware it hasn’t fallen yet. He looks back to the front as the Monokuma points again. This time the exisals firing everything they got. Saihara resists shouting in pain as he begins to be burned by the missiles and lasers.

 

Then the exisals run out of ammo, without waiting for the lead Monokuma’s order they jump forward, exploding like the Monokuma’s before. Once all said and done Saihara sways from where he’s chained. Still barely alive, he looks to the other students and weakly smiles as the final Monokuma run forward. Tackling Saihara to the wall, blowing up when close. The dome comes down. And the trial stands float down in front of the hole.

____________________

 

Execution Successful

:D

____________________

 

The students look at the bloody mess that remains of Saihara. All of them upset to see the mess, even those who just a few moments ago were more than happy to send him to his death for all he had put them through in his twisted effort to be cared about.

 

But despite their upset at his gruesome demise, they couldn’t bring themselves to forgive him. He had willingly put them in a killing game and lead them on. Let them trust him. They would mourn the others’ deaths, but they would not mourn Saihara’s death permanent or not.

 

And with this final thought, the survivors of the killing game walk into the light emitting from the hole in the dome’s wall. And the academy behind them fades to dust. Light engulfing their sight.

____________________

 

**Epilogue**

____________________

 

The light fades to black and seven different students wake up. Machines holding them open. Several people help the seven sit up in their respective machines. A voice to Ouma’s right side speaks up, “It’s nice to meet you in person. I’m thankful you decided to trust my words.”

 

Ouma squints against the light of the room and looks to the person. His throat hurts as his voice croaks out, “Who-” He coughs, “Who are you?”

 

The person smiles, “Hinata, Hajime Hinata. The one controlling Mother and Monokuma in the end. Minus the execution, the simulation took back control for that part,” Hinata grimaces at his own mention of the execution.

 

Another person, this time on Ouma’s left speaks up, “And I’m Makoto Naegi. Current Principal of the new Hope’s Peak Academy and also Ultimate Hope, though for a slightly different reason than Hinata-kun’s. You might want so water,” Naegi holds up a cup. Helping stabilize it when Ouma almost drops it.

 

He nearly downs the drink a second. Only realizing after the fact he should be more suspicious of strangers. But when he doesn’t start dying from a poisoned cup of water he begins to speak again, “How're the others?”

 

Naegi smiles brightly, “Our classmates are currently helping the other survivors up. And making sure they’re okay.”

 

Ouma slowly nods, “And for those who died?”

 

Hinata answers this time, “They’re all going to wake up. Though it will take some time. There’s the risk some won’t try to wake up, but don’t worry I’m used to dealing with that.”

 

Ouma stares at him in confusion. Silently asking him to elaborate. Voice still weak, making Ouma question just how long they’ve been in the simulation for.

 

Hinata explains, “My killing game was in virtual reality too. And one of my classmates who died didn’t want to wake up. Hiding in his own imagined world. And I made an A.I. to go in and force him to wake up. It worked in the end, so no need to worry about that.”

 

Ouma nods and the two boys try to help Ouma up. He looks around spotting other people, assumably Naegi and Hinata’s classmates, helping the other six do the same. The elders of the group helping the students to a large room over. Sitting their respective student down on one of the chairs or couches. Ouma ending up next to Yumeno and Hoshi on the couch, Harukawa and Amami getting their own seats, and Shinguji and a human-looking Kiibo share a love seat. The group of people helping them move to the front of the room for the most part with one person staying with each group of students.

 

Hinata claps his hands, “Okay as some of you may have figured out I’m Hajime Hinata, left of me is Makoto Naegi, we both hold the title of Ultimate Hope, with Naegi-kun also holding the title of Ultimate Lucky Student. And we’re the two main leaders of class seventy-seven and seventy-eight, respectively. Our classmates will introduce themselves.”

 

On Naegi’s left, a girl with lavender hair says, “I’m Kyoko Kirigiri, Ultimate Detective and right hand for the seventy-eighth class.”

 

The students flinch at the mention of an Ultimate Detective, the wound still fresh. But the boy next to Kirigiri changes the subject with his introduction, “I’m Yasuhiro Hagakure, Ultimate Clairvoyant. And I have a thirty percent success rate.”

 

The others around him lightly chuckling at his joke, causing the students to relax slightly. The girl standing by Shinguji and Kiibo waves, “I’m Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimmer! And I know where the donuts are stashed,” she continues joking like Hagakure to help further relax the atmosphere.

 

Naegi speaks up, “Our other two classmates, Byakuya Togami the Ultimate  Affluent Progeny and Touko Fukawa aren’t here right now. Busy on other missions. And often assisting is is my sister Komaru and wherever Touko-san is chances are Komaru is there too.”

 

Then by Amami, a silver-haired girl speaks, “I’m Peko Pekoyama, Ultimate Swordswoman. You’ll be safe if I’m in the room, don’t worry.”

 

By Harukawa a pink haired boy, “Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic. I couldn’t help with the simulation program, but I sure as hell can work with the computer and pods themselves.”

 

Standing with Ouma, Hoshi, and Yumeno is a sleepy girl, who appears strangely robotic like Kiibo did in the simulation, “I’m Chiaki Nanami, or well, an A.I. version of the once Ultimate Gamer. The real Nanami had, unfortunately, died during the Tragedy, she was the leader of the seventy-seventh class. Now I’m more along the lines of a right hand for us.”

 

Then those right of Hinata begin to speak. First purple haired girl, “I- I’m Mikan Tsumiki, th- the Ultimate Nurse. Come to me if you ever get hurt.”

 

Next, a rather fat man speaks up, “I don’t tend to say my true name often, so you may call me Imposter, as I’m the Ultimate Imposter. Maybe one day you’ll learn my name,” he chuckles.

 

After him spoke a blonde girl, confident smile in her face, “I’m Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess! It’s wonderful to meet all of you even if it’s not in the best circumstances.”

 

Then a girl with wild brown hair speaks, “Akane Owari, Ultimate Gymnast. And careful, I might steal all the food,” she jokes.

 

The second to last, a shorter blond boy, “Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. Ultimate Yakuza. And yes I have a tattoo for it. And no you may not see it.”

 

Last, a giant guy shouts, “I’m Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager! I’ll make sure you sixteen all are back in top shape!”

 

With introductions finished Naegi begins to speak, “So with that out of the way we would like to tell you about what happened and what’s going to happen next. To begin with, your guy’s mastermind wasn’t lying when your talents are artificial. Team Danganronpa was experimenting with giving regular people Ultimate talents and turning them to despair. Though don’t worry! Your artificial talents still work as if legitimate and will be treated as such. Though realistically you were regular people before Team Danganronpa found you. And unfortunately, with the surrounding area still in chaos, we can’t tell what happened to you guys leading up to being in this killing game. So, for the most part, we don’t know who you were before or the state of your homes and families. Though we will do our best to help you find out if you wish! In the meantime, because of having Ultimate talents, you are welcome to come to the new Hope’s Peak Academy and continue to develop your talents. And if you don’t wish to join the school, well still help you finish your high school education and give you a place to stay. We wish for you all the stay at the Academy until your classmates wake up. But if you wish to leave, we won’t force you to stay. But we will recommend you go to one of the designated safe zones as to not have another run in with despair.”

 

Ouma cuts his explanation off, however, to ask a question, “Wait you said for the most you don’t know who our families are and what happened to us. So what do you know?”

 

Naegi’s eyes widen, “Oh right! Well, we actually learned about you guys when one of your family members found us and refused to leave until we investigated the disappearance.”

 

Amami asks, “Who’s family member was it?”

 

Naegi hums, “It was a DICE member I believe they said they were. They wouldn’t give an actual name of them or their family member that went missing. So if any of you remember that well that’s probably your family then.”

 

The students stare at Ouma while he stares at Naegi. Tears welling in his eyes he begs, “Where- where are they? Please, you have to - you have to tell me.”

 

Naegi looks to him in sympathy, “I’m guessing DICE is your family then Ouma-kun. Well then, you’ll be happy 5o hear all ten of your ‘loyal subordinates,’ as they called themselves, are safe at the Academy. You can see them tomorrow since today will be dedicated to helping you seven getting used to being in reality again.”

 

Ouma nods trying to wipe his tears, unable to fully stop crying now that’s he’s outside if the simulation, “Thank you.”

 

Naegi nods, understanding fully well what it’s like to what to see your family, unknowing of their current condition. Hinata continues the explanation, “If you do wish to stay as Naegi-kun said you’ll go to the Academy to finish your last years of high school. After that, we will give you help get a job related to your talent in a safe zone wherever you may wish to go. Or you will have the choice to join the Future Foundation and help us fight despair. We could use the help, and your class will be given the right to run your own team dedicated to helping those who were like you before the killing game. Regular people who are getting screwed over by despair. Since we were so focused on the big picture that you guys had to go through it, maybe you’d want to show us up and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he smirks at the students, despite the insult against himself. Then continues, “You’ll have plenty of time to decide what to do later though. You don’t have to decide now. For now just worry about your own health, as you guys were in there for a while, some longer than others,” he looks to Amami as he says this, “So your bodies are a lot weaker than you remember. But considering none of you died you’re in a lot better shape than your classmates are going to be. So you guys should be able to mostly recover today. The exception to that being you,” he says pointing at Amami, “Since as I said, you were in there a lot longer than these other guys.”

 

Amami nods, “That makes sense.”

 

Naegi claps, “Okay! Any questions before you have to do some physical therapy?”

 

Kiibo speaks up from his seat, “What about everyone else in the machines still. When are they going to wake up?”

 

Naegi gestures for Hinata to explain. He nods, looking to the students, “Your classmates are going to wake up in order from how long they have been dead and how intact their body was when they died. For example, the two who died first will probably be the first two to wake up, while the mastermind will probably be the last one to wake up. And as they wake up, they’ll be given one day to get used to things here and debriefed like you seven are right now. And then moved to the Academy with the rest of you.”

 

The seven give their own signs of agreement with the explanation. Too overwhelmed to really question why it works like that. Several of the students making a note to themselves to ask tomorrow if no one else does.

 

But Ouma does instead ask, “What about Kiibo’s talent as Ultimate Robot? In the simulation, it meant he was literally just a robot. But we can tell here he’s a human like the rest of us.”

 

Hinata and Naegi share a wide eye glance, unaware of Kiibo’s talents. But thankfully Soda steps up and pulls out a blueprint and hands it to Kiibo, “Here, try to make sense of this blueprint. And give me a few seconds to grab some stuff, I want you to try to make a small version of what’s in there,” Soda says before stepping away briefly.

 

Kiibo moves to question Soda, but he’s gone before Kiibo can get a word out. So instead he just looks at the blueprint. Soda comes back after a bit and hands Kiibo different parts and tools. Kiibo begins to work on the parts and after some time puts it together to match the blueprint. When he’s done, he’s holding a miniature version of the robot apparently in the blueprint. Soda turns it on and everyone is quite shocked when it works. Soda’s smile is bright and sharp. He cheers, “You’re an Ultimate all right! Just more of an Ultimate Robotics Technician instead of Ultimate Robot!”

 

Naegi and Hinata chuckle. Hinata shakes his head at the same time though commenting, “Well I guess that answers that question.”

 

Several other people begin to chuckle because of this. The students in the room finally really relaxing for the first time since the start of the killing game. And with that Hinata now claps and the two who grabbed each person before grabs them again and moves them to another large room where, with Tsumiki and Hinata’s instruction, lead their student through the basic physical therapy. Promises of proper food and drink after they’re done as to not upset their stomachs while doing the therapy.


End file.
